title: Prevalence of fetal heart rate decelerations in self-referred low-risk patients in the third trimester.
abstract: We tested the hypotheses that fetal heart rate decelerations are present during the third trimester in most low risk pregnant women, the prevalence of decelerations is a function of the length of time fetal heart rate monitoring occurs and their presence is not associated with an adverse prognosis. We performed a retrospective chart review of 114 self-referred low-risk pregnant patients who presented to the labor and delivery triage area of a tertiary care hospital at 26-41 weeks gestation. None required admission to the hospital. The control group consisted of patients who delivered immediately before and after the delivery of the study patient. Normal long-term variability and fetal baseline heart rate were found in all electronic fetal monitoring tracings. Accelerations were present in 91% and decelerations in 65% of patients. There was no correlation between length of time of monitoring and the incidence of decelerations. At delivery, there were no differences in birthweight, gestational age, 5-min Apgar scores or cord pH between the control and study patients. Variable decelerations were a common finding in the third trimester of low-risk pregnant patients who self referred to labor and delivery triage. They were not prognostic of an adverse perinatal outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Geraci
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Chez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fuentes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D005865:Gestational Age; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors