title: Probing the fetal cardiac signal for antecedents of brain injury.
abstract: Obstetric care providers and researchers have long relied on analysis of the fetal heart rate tracing for insight into the fetal neurologic status. Although a normal fetal heart rate tracing does provide reassurance of intact neurologic function, an abnormal pattern is a very poor predictor of newborn brain injury. Indeed, if the clinical end point of interest is cerebral palsy, a non-reassuring fetal heart rate tracing has a 99% false positive rate. More recent analyses of fetal heart rate variability and fetal ECG waveforms, however, hold promise for improved diagnostic accuracy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts Box 360, 800 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA. awolfberg@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
authors.forename: Adam J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wolfberg
authors.forename: Errol R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Norwitz
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005311:Fetal Hypoxia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors