The need for a new outlook on labor monitoring.
Fetal heart rate monitors, including the newer pulse-oximetry and STAN monitors, are designed to detect fetal distress that affects less than 1% of women in labor. Non-progressive labor is a much more common disorder than fetal distress, with approximately 50% of women in labor requiring oxytocin. Current technology assessing labor progress is subjective and inaccurate. There is a need for objective and accurate technology to measure labor progress and the effect it may have on managing labor and, specifically, non-progressive labor.
Farine
Dan
D
Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. dfarine@mtsinai.on.ca
Shenhav
Michael
M
Barnea
Ofer
O
Jaffa
Ariel
A
Fox
Harold E
HE
D005260:Female; D005316:Fetal Distress / Q000503:physiopathology; D005323:Fetal Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D010092:Oximetry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy