Fetal Heart Tracing

Front 1

fetoscope

Back 1

can hear fetal heart tones-stethoscope with a bell, actually hearing the baby’s HR

Front 2

doppler

Back 2

detects motions and translates into fetal heart rate (can detect an arrhythmia)

Front 3

internal scalp electrode (ISE)

Back 3

documents actual fetal heart rate beat to beat (wire gets screwed onto babys scalp)

Front 4

tocodynamometer transducer

Back 4

measures presence of contractions (small, round device placed on moms abdomen to detect the presence of contractions)

Front 5

intrauterine presure catherter (IUPC)

Back 5

measures the actual pressures within the uterus

Front 6

uterine activity

Back 6

frequency
duration
strength only wiht IUPC
normal activity less than or equal to 5 contractions in 10 min
tachysystole > 5 contractions in 10 min

Front 7

fetal heart tracing-baseline

Back 7

-normal: 110-160
-abnormal: bradycardia <110
tachycardia >160

Front 8

variability

Back 8

fluctuations in the baseline FHR
-absent: amplitude range undetectable
minimal: amplitude range- undetectable and < 5 bpm
moderate: ampl range 6-25 bpm
marked: greater than or equal to 25 bpm

Front 9

accelerations

Back 9

-spontaneous sharp or abrupt increases in FHR for 15 seconds, 15 bpm above baseline

Front 10

reactive

Back 10

2 or more FHR acclerations measureing an increase of 15 bpm for at least 15 sec

Front 11

early deccelerations

Back 11

-impt to know what it is caused by!
-uniform, curvilinear sharp
-nadir (lowest pt) withtin 18 sec of contraction peak
-caused by direct head compression
-mirror images of the contractions

Front 12

late decelerations

Back 12

-uniform, curvilinear shape
-occurs in respose to contractions
-nadir lag time >18 sec from the peak of contractions
-caused by uterine/placental insufficiency (bad)

Front 13

variable decelerations

Back 13

-shape U, V, W
-variable in shape and timing
-caused by cord compression
-it is ok if these happen every once in a while; if constant (aroud babys neck)- every contraction the baby is being occluded from O2

Front 14

spontaneous decelerations

Back 14

curvilinear decelerations without a contraction

Front 15

signs: reassuring

Back 15

-normal baseline
-moderate fetal bradycardia, good variability
-accelerations
-early decelrations
-mild variable decelerations

Front 16

signs: not reassuring

Back 16

-fetal tachycardia
-moderate fetal bradycardia, lost variability
-marked fetal bardycardia
-moderate variable decelrations
-early decel and slow return to baseline

Front 17

signs: ominous

Back 17

-fetal tachycardia with loss of variability
-prolonged marked fetal bardycardia
-late decelerations
-sever variable decelrations