title: Does ST analysis of fetal ECG reduce cesarean section rate for fetal distress?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Each pregravidic, gestational or intrapartum complication may, per se, have a different impact on the operative delivery rate, regardless of which fetal monitoring system was adopted. We wanted to verify if CTG plus ST interval analysis (STAN) of fetal ECG might be able to reduce the number of operative delivery for fetal distress in high-risk pregnancies compared to low-risk women monitored with CTG alone.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cohort study, we evaluated 100 high-risk pregnancies consecutively with STAN® S31 (Neoventa Medical, Gotenburg, Sweden) and 160 low-risk pregnancies consecutively with continuous CTG (Hewlett Packard, 50 IP, Palo Alto, CA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that STAN monitoring, although associated with a higher total operativity rate, both vaginal (11% versus 3.12%, p = 0.015) and cesarean (17% versus 4.37%, p = 0.001), reduced the cesarean section rate performed for fetal distress (29.41% versus 85.71%, p = 0.023) compared with low-risk CTG monitoring group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CTG plus ST interval analysis of fetal ECG reduced the risk of operative cesarean delivery for fetal distress in high-risk gestations.
authors.affiliation: a Division of Perinatal Medicine , Policlinico Abano Terme , Abano Terme , Padua , Italy and.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Straface
authors.affiliation: b Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Catholic University of the Sacred Heart , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scambia
authors.affiliation: a Division of Perinatal Medicine , Policlinico Abano Terme , Abano Terme , Padua , Italy and.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zanardo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005316:Fetal Distress / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005323:Fetal Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk
keywords: ST analysis; fetal hypoxia; high risk pregnancy; intrapartum; operative delivery