title: Prolonged saltatory fetal heart rate pattern leading to newborn metabolic acidosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The saltatory pattern, characterized by wide and rapid oscillations of the fetal heart rate (FHR), remains a controversial entity. The authors sought to evaluate whether it could be associated with an adverse fetal outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors report a case series of four saltatory patterns occurring in the last 30 minutes before birth in association with cord artery metabolic acidosis, obtained from three large databases of internally acquired FHR tracings. The distinctive characteristics of this pattern were evaluated with the aid of a computer system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All cases were recorded in uneventful pregnancies, with normal birthweight singletons, born vaginally at term. The saltatory pattern lasted between 23 and 44 minutes, exhibited a mean oscillatory amplitude of 45.9 to 80.0 beats per minute (bpm) and a frequency between four and eight cycles per minute.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A saltatory pattern exceeding 20 minutes can be associated with the occurrence of fetal metabolic acidosis.
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Nunes
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Ayres-de-Campos
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Kwee
authors: K G
authors: KG
authors: Rosén
mesh_terms: D000138:Acidosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D015148:Cardiotocography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005311:Fetal Hypoxia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted