intrapartum care Flashcards
initially what qs would you ask the pregnant woman when she comes into hospital
Review the antenatal notes (including all antenatal screening results) and discuss these with the woman.
Ask her about the length, strength and frequency of her contractions.
Ask her about any pain she is experiencing and discuss her options for pain relief.
Record her pulse, blood pressure and temperature, and carry out urinalysis.
Record if she has had any vaginal loss.
what examination would u do in a pregnant woman
Ask the woman about the baby’s movements in the last 24 hours.
Palpate the woman’s abdomen to determine the fundal height, the baby’s lie, presentation, position, engagement of the presenting part, and frequency and duration of contractions.
Auscultate the fetal heart rate for a minimum of 1 minute immediately after a contraction. Palpate the woman’s pulse to differentiate between the heartbeats of the woman and the baby.
what observations of the pregnant woman might trigger you to transfer her to obstetrics
pulse over 120 beats/minute on 2 occasions 30 minutes apart
a single reading of either raised diastolic blood pressure of 110 mmHg or more or raised systolic blood pressure of 160 mmHg or more
either raised diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or more or raised systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or more on 2 consecutive readings taken 30 minutes apart
a reading of 2+ of protein on urinalysis and a single reading of either raised diastolic blood pressure (90 mmHg or more) or raised systolic blood pressure (140 mmHg or more)
temperature of 38°C or above on a single reading, or 37.5°C or above on 2 consecutive readings 1 hour apart
any vaginal blood loss other than a show
rupture of membranes more than 24 hours before the onset of established labour (see recommendation 1.15.25)
the presence of significant meconium (see recommendation 1.5.2)
pain reported by the woman that differs from the pain normally associated with contractions
what observations of the unborn baby might trigger you to transfer mother to obstetrics
any abnormal presentation, including cord presentation
transverse or oblique lie
high (4/5–5/5 palpable) or free‑floating head in a nulliparous woman
suspected fetal growth restriction or macrosomia
suspected anhydramnios or polyhydramnios
fetal heart rate below 110 or above 160 beats/minute
a deceleration in fetal heart rate heard on intermittent auscultation
reduced fetal movements in the last 24 hours reported by the woman.
fetal monitoring with a woman in susp or established labour
Use either a Pinard stethoscope or doppler ultrasound.
Carry out auscultation immediately after a contraction for at least 1 minute and record it as a single rate.
Record accelerations and decelerations if heard.
Palpate the maternal pulse to differentiate between the maternal and fetal heartbeats.
options for pain relief/analgesia in labour
- water immersion
- TENS machine
- having a birth partner
Ensure that Entonox (a 50:50 mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide)
- nauseous
- light‑headed.
IV/IM opiods - pethidine - diamorphine RISKS (drowsiness, nausea and vomiting) and her baby (short‑term respiratory depression and drowsiness which may last several days)
what observations should be done for women with regional analgesia/ epidural
maternal complications
CI
During establishment of regional analgesia or after further boluses (10 ml or more of low‑dose solutions), measure blood pressure every 5 minutes for 15 minutes.
If the woman is not pain‑free 30 minutes after each administration of local anaesthetic/opioid solution, recall the anaesthetist.
Assess the level of the sensory block hourly.
Risks
- epidural abscess
- hypotension
- temporary loss of bladder control/urinary retention
- delayed second stage due to inability to push effectively
- nausea
- headache
- nerve damage
- procedure failure
- inability to move freely
- increased chances of instrumentation delivery
CI
- abnormal bleeding
- skin infection at or near site
- hypovolaemia
- neurological disorders
- CVS disease
- anatomical abnormalities of the vertebral
- pt refusal
- lack of adequately trained staff
when to perform CTG in regional analgesia
least 30 minutes during establishment of regional analgesia and after administration of each further bolus of 10 ml or more.
if rapid analgesia is required which one do u use
combined spinal-epidural analgesia
bupivacaine
fentanyl
epidural v spinal anaesthetic
epidural is inseted into th epotential space that lies between the dura matter and the periosteum lining the inside of the vertebral canal
spinal anaesthesia is induced by injecting small amounts of local anaesthetic is induced by injecting small amounts of local anaesthetic into the CSF after having pierced the dura matter
when to advise continous CTG
maternal pulse over 120 beats/minute on 2 occasions 30 minutes apart
temperature of 38°C or above on a single reading, or 37.5°C or above on 2 consecutive occasions 1 hour apart
suspected chorioamnionitis or sepsis
pain reported by the woman that differs from the pain normally associated with contractions
the presence of significant meconium (as defined in recommendation 1.5.2)
fresh vaginal bleeding that develops in labour
severe hypertension: a single reading of either systolic blood pressure of 160 mmHg or more or diastolic blood pressure of 110 mmHg or more, measured between contractions
hypertension: either systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or more or diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or more on 2 consecutive readings taken 30 minutes apart, measured between contractions
a reading of 2+ of protein on urinalysis and a single reading of either raised systolic blood pressure (140 mmHg or more) or raised diastolic blood pressure (90 mmHg or more)
confirmed delay in the first or second stage of labour (see recommendations 1.12.14, 1.13.3 and 1.13.4)
contractions that last longer than 60 seconds (hypertonus), or more than 5 contractions in 10 minutes (tachysystole)
oxytocin use.
when reviewing a CTG trace what should u document
baseline rate
baseline variability
presence or absence of decelerations (and concerning characteristics of variable decelerations* if present)
presence of accelerations.
normal HR for fetus
110-160
abnormal baseline in CTG
Below 100
OR
Above 180
Abnormal baseline variability in CTG
Less than 5 for more than 50 minutes
OR
More than 25 for more than 25 minutes
OR
Sinusoidal
abnormal decelerations seen in CTG
Variable decelerations with any concerning characteristics* in over 50% of contractions for 30 minutes (or less if any maternal or fetal clinical risk factors [see above])
OR
Late decelerations for 30 minutes (or less if any maternal or fetal clinical risk factors)
OR
Acute bradycardia, or a single prolonged deceleration lasting 3 minutes or more
baseline in non reassuring CTG
100 to 109†
OR
161 to 180
non reassuring baseline variability CTG
Less than 5 for 30 to 50 minutes
OR
More than 25 for 15 to 25 minutes
non-reassuring decelerations in CTG
variable decelerations with no concerning characteristics for 90 minutes or more
variable decelerations with any concerning characteristics in up to 50% of contractions for 30 minutes or more
variable decelerations with any concerning characteristics in over 50% of contractions for less than 30 minutes
late decelerations in over 50% of contractions for less than 30 minutes, with no maternal or fetal clinical risk factors such as vaginal bleeding or significant meconium
when is CTG suspicious
1 non-reassuring feature
AND
2 reassuring features
Mx for suspicious CTG
Correct any underlying causes, such as hypotension or uterine hyperstimulation
Perform a full set of maternal observations
Start 1 or more conservative measures*
Inform an obstetrician or a senior midwife
pathological feature criteria in CTG
1 abnormal feature
OR
2 non-reassuring features
Mx of pathological CTG
Obtain a review by an obstetrician and a senior midwife
Exclude acute events (for example, cord prolapse, suspected placental abruption or suspected uterine rupture)
Correct any underlying causes, such as hypotension or uterine hyperstimulation
Start 1 or more conservative measures*
Talk to the woman and her birth companion(s) about what is happening and take her preferences into account
If the cardiotocograph trace is still pathological after implementing conservative measures:
obtain a further review by an obstetrician and a senior midwife
offer digital fetal scalp stimulation and document the outcome
If the cardiotocograph trace is still pathological after fetal scalp stimulation:
consider fetal blood sampling
consider expediting the birth
take the woman’s preferences into account
need fo urgent intervention criteria
Acute bradycardia, or a single prolonged deceleration for 3 minutes or more
Mx for need for urgent intervention
Urgently seek obstetric help
If there has been an acute event (for example, cord prolapse, suspected placental abruption or suspected uterine rupture), expedite the birth
Correct any underlying causes, such as hypotension or uterine hyperstimulation
Start 1 or more conservative measures*
Make preparations for an urgent birth
Talk to the woman and her birth companion(s) about what is happening and take her preferences into account
Expedite the birth if the acute bradycardia persists for 9 minutes
If the fetal heart rate recovers at any time up to 9 minutes, reassess any decision to expedite the birth, in discussion with the woman
concerning characterisitcs of variable decelerations
lasting more than 60 seconds
reduced baseline variability within the deceleration
failure to return to baseline
biphasic (W) shape
no shouldering
conservative measures for heart fetal
encourage the woman to mobilise or adopt an alternative position (and to avoid being supine)
offer intravenous fluids if the woman is hypotensive
reduce contraction frequency by:
reducing or stopping oxytocin if it is being used and/or
offering a tocolytic drug (a suggested regimen is subcutaneous terbutaline 0.25 mg).
when to offer fetal blood sampling
if CTG is stilkl pathological regardless of fetal scalp stimulation
what is fetal blood sampling
measure the level of acid in the baby’s blood, which may help to show how well the baby is coping with labour.
when taking a sample a small scratch may be formed on the baby’s scalp
- small risk of infection
classification of pH of fetal blood
normal: 7.25 or above
borderline: 7.21 to 7.24
abnormal: 7.20 or below
classification of lactate of fetal blood
normal: 4.1 mmol/l or below
borderline: 4.2 to 4.8 mmol/l
abnormal: 4.9 mmol/l or above. [2017]
if fetal blood sample is borderline - no accelerations in response to fetal scalp stimulation
second fetal blood sample no more than 30 minutes later if this is still indicated by the cardiotocograph trace
if fetal blood sample is normal - no accelerations in response to fetal scalp stimulation
second fetal blood sample no more than 1 hour later if this is still indicated by the cardiotocograph trace
what advise should be given to women presenting with prelabour rupture of the membranes
the risk of serious neonatal infection is 1%, rather than 0.5% for women with intact membranes
60% of women with prelabour rupture of the membranes will go into labour within 24 hours
induction of labour[4] is appropriate approximately 24 hours after rupture of the membranes
what observations are recorded during the first stage of labour
half‑hourly documentation of frequency of contractions
hourly pulse
4‑hourly temperature and blood pressure
frequency of passing urine
offer a vaginal examination 4‑hourly or if there is concern about progress or in response to the woman’s wishes (after abdominal palpation and assessment of vaginal loss).
delay in first stage what to take into account
parity
cervical dilatation and rate of change
uterine contractions
station and position of presenting part
the woman’s emotional state
referral to the appropriate healthcare professional.
what aspects should be assessed when diagnosing delay
cervical dilatation of less than 2 cm in 4 hours for first labours
cervical dilatation of less than 2 cm in 4 hours or a slowing in the progress of labour for second or subsequent labours
descent and rotation of the baby’s head
changes in the strength, duration and frequency of uterine contractions.