Antepartal analysis of fetal heart rate variability (FHRV) has been shown to be of value in predicting fetal distress in labor [8]. Abdominal fetal electrocardiograin (aFECG) is used äs a trigger signal in the statistical analysis of intervals and the differences between them [7]. The indices of variability thus obtained have a good correlation with indices calculated simultaneously from direct FECG [6,12]. Interval index (II) describes the long-term variability and differential index (DI) the short-term variability in this analysis. The main disadvantage of this analysis System is a fairly high failure rate of aFECG during the third trimester of pregnancy. Gestational age, the electrode position and the maternal position have been shown to affect the recordability of aFECG [l, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11]. On the other hand, maternal obesity, placental location and the state of the membranes have been shown not to have any effect on the quality of aFECG [l, 3, 9]. The aim of this study was to investigate how often FHRV analysis made by aFECG succeeds and what is the role of certain methodological factors in the recording procedure. Patients and methodsFHRV analyses were performed by a previously described method using an on-line microprocessor system [7]. The analysis was regarded äs a failure when less than 30% of the intervals detected were accepted in the analysis. Student's paired t-test (one-sided) was used to measure the significance of the results.2.2 Maternal position in FHRV analysis. The maternal supine vs. 90-degree lateral position was studied relating to the success rate and to the variability indices in 30 pregnancies. A five-minute analysis was fiist attempted in the supine position immediately followed by a 90-degree lateral position. The maternal supine and 15-degree lateral positions were similarly compared in 30 pregnancies.

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The zinc concentration of amniotic fluid (AF) of 129 pregnant women was analyzed by the flame atomic absorption spectrometry. This prospective study was performed in order to find out whether the determination of the AF zinc concentration can be used to monitor the growth and development of the fetus. There were two groups of patients: early stage (15th-19th gestation wk) in which the amniocentesis was performed as a prenatal genetic examination, and late stage (26th-40th wk) in which the amniocentesis was performed due to obstetric reasons. The average AF zinc concentrations were 1.2 and 1.0 μmol/L in the early and late gestation group, respectively. The AF zinc concentration did not correlate with the weight, height, or Apgar scores of the newborn nor with the maternal diseases, age, or parity. The AF zinc concentration in the late gestation group was significantly lower if the fetus was male than if it was female. If the AF was greenish the zinc concentration was elevated. One malformation, congenital nephrosis, with an exceptionally high zinc concentration (9.0 μmol/L), was found.

The wound complications occurring after a total of over 32000 gynaecological operations from 1955 to 1967 have been analysed. The average rate of infection was 2.9%. Staphylococcus aureus was found in 29% of cases and in 24% of swabs E. coli was observed. Altogether Gram-negative bacilli were found in 27% of the infected wounds. Clear differences can be noticed in the numbers of complications following different operations, the fewest complications occurring after abortion made by hysterotomy and operations for malignant disease, and the greatest number after total hysterectomies and operations for incontinence. Prophylactic appendicectomies increased the rate of wound infections to 4.3 % .The protection of operative wounds from infection and other complications is achieved primarily by maintaining strict asepsis in surgical hospitals. Absolute asepsis, however, can never quite be attained. There seems little room for doubt that even in the bzst organized operating theatres and wards, and even with the protection of antibiotics, postoperative wound infections will cause complications in some of the patients.The present analysis of a fairly large series was designed to throw light on the problem by determining the incidence of wound complications by age and by type of operation in two Departments of Gynaecology. The data on surgical cases have been compared annually from 1955 to 1967, attention being paid to the bacteriological grading and to the incidence of wound infections. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe present series comprises 32 421 surgical cases treated in the First and Second Departments of Gynaecology, University Central Hosspital, Helsinki, Finland. during 12 years, from 1955 to 1967. Altogether 934 patients had post-operative wound complications in this gynaecological series. Accordingly, the total incidence of wound complications was 2.9%. One per cent of the patients with a wound complication stayed in the hospital less than 10 days, 59% of them over 10 but under 20 days, and the remaining 40% over 20 days.The wound complications considered in this paper were diagnosed in hospital. The material has been divided into two groups, according to whether infection was primary or followed the development of a haematoma. RESULTS Bacteriological examination of woundsA bacteriological swab was taken from the wounds of 279 patients, i.e. in a third of the cases with a complication. Table I shows that Staphylococcus albus or a negative swab was found in 27% of cases, and pyogenic Staphylococcus in 29% of cases. In 24 % of swabs E. coli was observed. The rates of Proteus and Pseudomonas were very low, 2.5 % for the former and 0.7 % for the latter. Altogether, Gram-negative bacilli were found in 27 % of the infected wounds.