The reliability of cardiotocography in predicting babies condition at birth

Original article

English

Mustafa Gawas, Ramadan Gantry, Lubna Maghur, Emdalla Alasheg, Ebtesam Tarmisi

Department of Gynaecology and obstetric Faculty of Medicine, Al-Fateh University and Tripoli Medical Centre, Tripoli-Libya

JMJ Vo1.7 No.1 (Spring) 2007:54-58

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the validity of intrapartum cardiotocography CTG and compare it with other indicators of foetal hypoxia. Design: prospective observational study. Setting: Tripoli medical centre, obstetric and gynaecology department, labour ward. Methods: the study population consists of 154 women either in labour or having an elective caesarean section, inclusion criteria included singleton pregnancies between 37 and 42 weeks gestation. The patients were selected randomly over a period of 2 months from 15/10/ 2005 to 15/12/2005. Results: there was a statistically significant association between CTG and liqour status (P<0.001), CTG and cord PH (0.05 > P > 0.01) and CTG with Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes (0.05>P>0.01), however there was no relationship between the CTG and foetal outcome (P>0.05). Conclusion: although CTG findings correlate well with other signs of foetal hypoxia, they do not seem to predict foetal outcome, therefore it appears that transient hypoxia during labour is well tolerated by the newborn.

Keywords: CTG, birth asphyxia, Cord pH, Intrapartum monitoring, Apgar score.

Link/DOI: http://www.jmj.org.ly/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1377