11: Fetal Heart Monitoring

Question 1

purpose of FHR monitoring and if that works

Answer 1

to recognize change and present poor outcomes like irreversible brain injury, cerebral palsy, and death - but no significant lowering when compared to older methods like Doppler/stethoscope

Question 2

three reasons to keep using FHR Monitoring even tho it doesnt necessarily decrease poor outcomes

Answer 2

1. reassurance bc >98% of good fetal outcomes have nl continuous FHR
2. cant do 1:1 nursing to do stethoscope/doppler auscultation for every patient
3. provides a warning for potential problems

Question 3

how long can fetal oxygen reserve supply a fetus when O2 is cut off?

Answer 3

1-2 minutes

Question 4

normal pH of fetal scalp blood

Answer 4

7.25-7.3 (lower = acidosis)

Question 5

what happens to bb with each uterine contraction

Answer 5

blood supply is temporarily stopped, which can affect FHR

Question 6

fetal monitoring strip: upper vs lower tracing

Answer 6

upper: FHR
lower: uterine contractions

Question 7

normal rate of contractions

Answer 7

5 or less in 10 mins

Question 8

tachysystole

Answer 8

5+ contractions in 10 mins over a 30 minute window

Question 9

risk of tachysystole

Answer 9

hypoxia in fetus

Question 10

amnioinfusion

Answer 10

250-1000cc NS infused at a rate of 15cc/min into the uterus

Question 11

fetal scalp stimulated

Answer 11

should see an acceleration of 15 bpm for 15+ seconds - good to see if fetus is just sleeping

Question 12

if an emergency c section needs to occur, how many minutes is standard of care to deliver the bb?

Answer 12

30 minutes