[The cardiotocographic service during pregnancy. Reports on operative procedures used at different centers of the National area].
BACKGROUND
Aim of the paper is to verify the presence of operative procedures and their differences in the use of cardiotocography during pregnancy by some sample Centres in the national area.


METHODS
From the year-book AOGOI 1997, 50 Operative Units of Obstetrics and Gynecology were chosen and sent a questionnaire, duly prepared, in order to get the following information: presence of a specific Cardiotocographic Service during pregnancy and its supply; number of patients and way of making appointments; duration and frequency of controls; type of reporting; type of cardiotocographs used; behaviour in emergency cases and possible combined diagnostics.


RESULTS
Most of the Centres interviewed (64%) have their own Cardiotocographic Service which may be used in the morning by appointment. The patients have generally physiological pregnancies at term. Some differences were observed among the Centres concerning the period of the first control and the frequency of the following ones. The average number of antepartal non-stress tests has been of 3.9 with a very wide range (1-10). Only in 23.5 and in 12.7% of the cases a cardiotocographic control is required starting from the 40th and 41st week respectively. In the remaining cases (63.8%) controls are to be effected between the 34th and the 39th week. The average duration of the cardiotocographic recording changes if computerized appliances are used; in any case, the most likely duration is between 21 and 30 minutes. Doubtful reports per year were more when using non-computerized cardiotocography (10.8% vs 7.08%). In most of the Centres, a system of reporting on a final evaluating form, enclosed to the cardiotocogram, is used and in 72% of the cases the Centre may give an echographic and echofluximetric combined evaluation. Almost the total of the sample interviewed solved the problem of "emergencies" by entrusting the medical and paramedical staff of the Obstetrics Department, with controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Antepartal Cardiotocography has nowadays become a means of control widely spread also in physiological pregnancy. In fact, most of the sample Centres have their own ambulatory Service. The same operative procedures were not followed by these Services and the solution of running problems (admission of users) varies in each Centre according to the number of users and the availability of means and staff.
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Istituto di Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università degli Studi, Siena.
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D015148:Cardiotocography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors