Amniotic Fluid Flashcards
What is the unit used when talking about pregnancy?
Weeks
What weeks are there in the 1st trimester?
1st to 12th week
Weeks that the 3rd trimester represent
27 weeks to day of delivery
Main purposes of the amniotic fluid
- To cushion and protect the fetus
- Enables movement of the fetus
- Provide nutrients
The amniotic fluid fills a membrane called ______.
Amnion
The membrane that the amniotic fluid fills up is composed of what type of cells?
Cuboidal epithelial cells
In the late stages of pregnancy, how is the fetus contributing to the contents of the amniotic fluid?
The fetus has already developed lungs and kidneys, thus it can already swallow some fluid and then urinate.
True or false:
The fetus is able to inhale the amniotic fluid
True
What is the most commonly performed method of collection of the amniotic fluid?
Transabdominal amniocentesis
The amniotic fluid is typically collected after ____ weeks of gestation.
14
In the collection of amniotic fluid, why is the first 2-3ml discarded?
To avoid contamination
At how many weeks of gestation do we assess for neural tube defects or genetic abnormalities?
14-18 weeks
At how many weeks of gestation do we assess for the pulmonary and fetal health status?
20-42 weeks
Modified true or false:
Amniotic fluid has urea and creatinine levels equal to the urine
False
Plasma
In cases of fetal death, what is the color of the amniotic fluid?
Dark-red brown
This test is done in cases of anticipated premature deliveries.
Fetal lung maturity test
This is measured to indicate the maturity of the lungs of the fetus
Surfactants
Surfactants are made out of:
90% phospholipids, 10% protein
Surfactants are packaged into storage granules called ________.
Lamellar bodies
Lamellar bodies are secred by:
Type 2 pneumocytes
What are some of the tests that determine the fetus’ lung maturity
Lecithin/Sphingomyelin ratio
Phosphatidylglycerol
Foam stability index
Lamellar body count
Flourescence polarization assay
Lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio is tested using _____.
Thin layer chromatography (TLC)
Amniostat-FLM uses what antibodies?
Anti-PG
How do you report the result for AmnioStat?
negative, low positive, & high positive
Also known as the shake test
Foam stability test
Modified true or false:
The foam stability test is a confirmatory test for the lung maturity of the fetus.
False
Screening test
In foam stability test, the amniotic fluid is mixed with _____ then shaked for ____ seconds.
95% ethanol, 5 seconds
Amniotic fluid bilirubin is tested using what method?
Spectrophotometry
What is the oldest routinely performed test on AF?
Amniotic fluid bilirubin testing
The AF bilirubin optical density is measured in intervals between ____ nm and ____ nm.
365, 550
At what wavelength can bilirubin be absorbed?
450nm
Neural tube defects may be dected by measuring _______.
Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein
Examplea of NTDs
Anencephaly
Spina bifida