title: Continuous monitoring of fetal scalp temperature in labor: a new technology validated in a fetal lamb model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate a new technical equipment for continuous recording of human fetal scalp temperature in labor.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental animal study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two temperature sensors were placed subcutaneously and intracranially on the forehead of 10 fetal lambs and connected to a temperature monitoring system. The system records temperatures simultaneously on-line and stores data to be analyzed off-line. Throughout the experiment, the fetus was oxygenated via the umbilical cord circulation. Asphyxia was induced by intermittent cord compression, as assessed by pH in jugular vein blood. The intracranial (ICT) and subcutaneous (SCT) temperatures were compared with simple and polynomial regression analyses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Absolute and delta ICT and SCT changes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ICT and SCT were both successfully recorded in all 10 cases. With increasing acidosis, the temperatures decreased. The correlation coefficient between ICT and SCT had a range of 0.76-0.97 (median 0.88) by simple linear regression and 0.80-0.99 (median 0.89) by second grade polynomial regression. After an initial system stabilization period of 10 minutes, the delta temperature values (ICT minus SCT) were less than 1.5 degrees C throughout the experiment in all but one case.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The fetal forehead SCT mirrored the ICT closely, with the ICT being higher.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, University Hospital MAS, Malmö, Sweden. tony.lavesson@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lavesson
authors.forename: Isis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Amer-Wåhlin
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hansson
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ley
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marsál
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Olofsson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature; D005260:Female; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D005333:Fetus; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D011247:Pregnancy; D012535:Scalp; D012756:Sheep