A new modality in nonstress testing: Evaluation of beat-to-beat fetal heart rate variability

The pulse of inflammation: heart rate variability, the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway and implications for therapy

“…Measures of HRV have been strongly correlated to morbidity and mortality from diverse diseases. Early clinical findings, first observed more than 50 years ago, revealed that variability in RR intervals predict the onset of foetal distress before any measurable changes in absolute heart rate [38][39][40]. There is now extensive experience using HRV measures in diverse disease syndromes and these data indicate that decreased vagus nerve activity is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.…”

Postdate pregnancy Part I. A literature review

“…Lauersen and co‐workers 51 found loss of beat‐to‐beat variability (BTBV) to be a more sensitive predictor of subsequent fetal distress in labor than a nonreactive NST. Loss of BTBV is defined as a less than 5 to 10 beats‐per‐minute change in rate between heart rate events.…”

Clinical management of size/dates discrepancy

“…Because long‐term data on the possible side effects of the use of ultrasound are not available, 24–36 some clinicians choose not to routinely use a Doppler to check for fetal heart tones before they become audible with a fetoscope. The enlarging uterus, as well as the other signs and symptoms of pregnancy, serve to establish the basis for the continuing assumption of fetal well‐being in the absence of any pathology such as bleeding.…”

“…From 14 to 28 weeks, nomograms compiled by Jeanty 23 indicate that the 95% confidence limits for GA calculated from the BPD is 2.6 weeks, whereas for the FL it is 2.2 weeks. In the hands of an experienced technician, FL 32,33 may be a more accurate determination of GA. Many examiners obtain both measurements and average the results.…”