Tag: Fetal Heart Rate
Young expectant parents are being advised by many medical professionals not to use hand-held home use fetal heart rate monitors (an instrument better known as the Doppler) in order to listen to the baby’s heartbeat over (justified) fears that these sophisticated medical instruments can lead to delays in seeking medical help for reduced fetal movements (RFM) which can represent a warning sign that the unborn child is small for gestation or unwell. Therefore, expectant mothers who report reduced fetal movements have to be investigated thoroughly.
In one article in the British Medical Journal, Dr Thomas Aust (MD Obstetrician/Gynecologist) and his colleague physicians from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral describe the case of a young twenty seven year old woman who presented to their labor ward thirty two weeks into her first pregnancy with reduced fetal movements.
She had first noted a reduction in the unborn child’s activity 2 days earlier, however, had used her own home use fetal Doppler instrument to listen to her unborn child’s heart beating and reassured herself that all was okay.
Further fetal heart rate monitoring by the prenatal care team wasn’t reassuring. So, the child was delivered by C-section later that night. The newborn remained on the special care newborn room for two months and is making steady progress.
Fetal Doppler instrument assesses the presence of an unborn child’s heart beating only at that moment and it’s used by obstetricians as well as trained midwives in order to check for viability or for intermittent monitoring throughout the labor, say the authors. In inexperienced hands it’s much more likely that blood flow through the placenta or the pregnant woman’s main blood vessels will be heard.
Following this specific case, they searched the Web and found that a hand-held home use Doppler instrument could be rented for $15 per one month or bought for as little as $40 to $70. Even though the companies offering sales state that the instrument isn’t intended to replace advised prenatal diagnosis, manufacturers make claims like: “Expectant parents will be able to locate and listen to the heart beating with amazing clarity.”
It’s quite hard to say whether self monitoring altered the outcome in this particular instance, explain the authors. On the other hand, they now have posters in their antenatal areas advising that expectant parents don’t use these instruments.
September 16, 2010
In what seems to be one of the biggest and perhaps most demanding studies to this date, Washington University School of Medicine scientists are trying to better understand the use of the most widespread obstetric procedure used by many physicians — fetal heart rate monitoring.
Fetal heart rate monitoring was first introduced in back the early ‘70s to continuously check unborn child’s heart rates and, needless to say, on time intervene, if found necessary. The main aim was to reduce the risk of death as well as cerebral palsy resulting from insufficient oxygen to the baby’s sensitive brain.
In spite of the simple procedure being used in over 85% of United States childbirths, the stillbirth rate hasn’t changed and the rate of cerebral palsy has unfortunately increased.
“The technology became accepted practice before we knew if it worked or not.” These are the words of Dr. Alison Cahill, Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Washington.
In order to compare the fetal heart rate patterns to neonatal outcomes in seven thousands deliveries Dr. Alison Cahill and her colleague medical scientists have received a $3.5 million, 5-year grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Dr. Alison Cahill also said that: “Physicians are intervening on EFM recordings they think have particular meaning, but the recordings are not accurately predicting which babies will have neurological damage.” She also added that: “If we can learn more about these recordings and what they mean, we can possibly reduce the number of c-sections and also improve newborn care.”
For many years, the heart rate patterns were divided into 2 main categories: non-reassuring and reassuring. New recommendations introduced in 2008 divided the heart rate patterns into 3 main categories considered abnormal, normal, and intermediate. Intermediate readings are the most common, Dr. Alison Cahill said, on the other hand, “we have no information about the meanings of those patterns.”
Medical researches hope the study will ultimately result in much more precise interpretations of the recordings and help lessen the rate of C-sections as well, which have risen to 32% of all childbirths from 7% when fetal heart rate monitoring was first introduced.
Due to the threat of liability, a lot of children who might have been okay after a natural childbirth are being delivered with forceps or surgically, are the words of the Dr. George Macones, Mitchell and Elaine Yanow Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Sophisticated fetal heart rate monitoring technology holds promise, were the words of the Dr. Alison Cahill said that. She also said that: “It is hard to imagine second-to-second monitoring is less valuable. We just have not looked at it in a successful way.”
In the study to come, medical scientists will assess the fetal heart rate monitoring recordings a hundred and twenty minutes before childbirth and see whether those recordings predict which babies will suffer neurological damage. What’s more, two hundred full-term children born at Barnes-Jewish Hospital will undergo much more thorough tests in order to detect brain damage, like an MRI or cord blood sample.
September 12, 2010
Young expectant mothers who decide to get whether high end or cheap Doppler can monitor fetal heart rate and bond with the baby.
It’s quite standard for parents-to-be to have some fears concerning the well-being of their unborn child and to be slightly frightened. Some of them even believe that having one of these instruments is quite reassuring as well as comforting. A Doppler is a medical instrument which is used by many physicians to detect to the sounds of the mother’s womb at prenatal checkups. The sounds can generally be heard by the second month of gestation period. The child’s heartbeat as well as cord sounds and
even placenta sounds can all be easily detected with the instrument. Unquestionably, it has become a standard procedure of prenatal care.
A brand new fetal Doppler tops the shopping lists of most expectant young parents. Unfortunately, with very high price tags which sometimes run into the hundreds of dollars, it’s undoubtedly a very important investment for any parent-to-be. On the other hand, parents can and should think about getting a cheap model; but they should proceed with extreme caution.
Here are some tips and suggestions to keep in mind when searching for the cheap fetal heart rate Doppler monitor:
Safety
- Check outthe Internet page in great detail prior to buying one
- Make sure that the particular instrument conforms to all safety standards and is FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved
- Talk to the health care provider prior to buying one
- Ensure to read (and, needless to say – to understand) the return policy before getting one
- Ensure there’re guidelines for safe use as well as instructions on how to read what a mother-to-be is detecting
- When a mother-to-be is shopping, she should ensure to ask about the warranty
Price vs. Quality
Compare discounts and special deals because there’re a lot of different deals, (just for instance, certain models come with gel, batteries as well as free shipping and other’s do not). Be conscious of price vs. quality. Some models are much better by leaps and bounds when compared to others. A model with two megahertz probes are the best. Therefore, ensure to inquire whether or not they have two megahertz probes
Delivery
Find out how soon the order will arrive. Several manufacturers do not ship for two or even four business days after they receive the order
First Time or Experienced Parents
Parents-to-be should take into account how long will they need their Doppler monitor and whether they are done having kids or only getting started
Convenience Features
- A Doppler should be handy and portable
- It should detect the fetal heart rate from about ten to twelve weeks during pregnancy, and
- It should be simple to use
- It should be designed to be both lightweight and small, however robust, making it perfect for medical staff, physicians and naturally, expectant mothers
- A loudspeaker is a standard feature. Not only will the sound of the child reassure parents-to-be, however they will bond with their child from the day one. With the built in audio speaker, they will be able to share the excitement with close friends as well as family members
- The audio output for earphones is also a standard feature
Finally, parents have to be very cautious if getting a second-hand model or renting – or any used medical instrument, for that matter. Once again, check on-line for latest recall info, ensure to review the fetal Doppler rental agreement, get all the instruction manuals, and clean the instrument carefully with some kind of a recommended safe cleaning solution before using it.
Fortunately, regardless of how many expensive monitors turn up each year in specialized shops, it’s not necessary to get one. If expectant-parents shop with care, keep safety in mind, and do some research before making their final decision, getting a cheap fetal heart rate Doppler monitor is a very wise decision in fact.
August 22, 2010
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