Computerized cardiotocography in pregnancies complicated by pregestational diabetes mellitus: heart rate patterns in large for gestational age fetuses - Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia

Original Article

Computerized cardiotocography in pregnancies complicated by pregestational diabetes mellitus: heart rate patterns in large for gestational age fetuses

PURPOSE: to verify the fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns of large for gestational age (LGA) fetuses in pregnancies at term complicated by pregestational diabetes. METHODS: fetal surveillance was performed weekly in 64 fetuses of mothers with pregestational diabetes. Inclusion criteria were: diagnosis of pregestational diabetes mellitus, single pregnancy, alive fetus, absence of fetal anomalies, and computerized cardiotocography performed at the 37th week of gestation. Exclusion criteria included: postnatal diagnosis of fetal anomalies and delivery not performed at the local hospital. The FHR patterns were studied with computerized cardiotocography and the parameters were analyzed according to a fetal weight as LGA (birth weight above percentile 90). The cardiotocography parameters included: basal FHR, episodes of high variation, episodes of low variation, and short-term variation. RESULTS: forty-two patients fulfilled the proposed criteria. Ten (23.8%) newborns were LGA. Normal criteria were met in all performed examinations. FHR accelerations (above 15 bpm) were present in 7 (70%) LGA cases and in 29 (90.6%) non-LGA (p=0.135). Accelerations were more frequent in the non-LGA group (1.5±1.3 accelerations/10 min) when compared to LGA group (0.8±0.9 accelerations/10min, p=0.04, Mann-Whitney test). The high variation episodes were detected in all cases. The mean FHR variation in these episodes was different in the LGA group (16.2±2.5 bpm) when compared to the non-LGA group (19.7±4.2 bpm, p=0.02, Mann-Whitney test). CONCLUSION: the FHR patterns of non-LGA (higher frequency of accelerations and higher FHR variation in the high variation episodes) reflect parameters commonly analyzed by traditional cardiotocography of a healthy fetus. This fact appears to confirm the patterns of better oxygen supply to the fetuses less compromised by diabetes in pregnancy.

Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Leia também