Human fetal response to vibroacoustic stimulation as a function of stimulus duration.
The effect of stimulus duration on the initial fetal heart rate (FHR) acceleration response was evaluated by assessing its amplitude and span following a single vibroacoustic stimulation with durations of 0 (sham), 1, 3, or 5 seconds. Statistically significant differences were observed in the mean amplitude and duration of acceleration in groups 3 and 5 when compared with groups 0 and 1 (P less than .05). In addition, groups 3 and 5 demonstrated significantly greater fetal reactivity than group 0 and a decrease in testing time over groups 0 and 1 (P less than .05). Our results suggest that the magnitude of the FHR acceleration response is dependent on the duration of the stimulus. Furthermore, a 3-second sound stimulus appears to be adequate for a shift to the fetal behavioral "awake" state.
Pietrantoni
M
M
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa.
Angel
J L
JL
Parsons
M T
MT
McClain
L
L
Arango
H A
HA
Spellacy
W N
WN
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D005323:Fetal Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005324:Fetal Movement; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014732:Vibration / Q000627:therapeutic use*