Near-infrared spectroscopy of the placenta for monitoring fetal oxygenation during labour

Abstract

Although being the golden standard for intrapartum fetal surveillance, cardiotocography (CTG) has been shown to have poor specificity for detecting fetal acidosis. Non-invasive near-infrared-spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring of placental oxygenation during labour has not been studied yet. The objective of the study was to determine whether changes in placental NIRS values during labour could identify intrapartum fetal hypoxia and resulting acidosis. We included 43 healthy women in active stage of labour at term. CTG and NIRS parameters in groups with vs. without neonatal umbilical artery pH � 7.20 were compared using Mann-Whitney-U. Receiver-operating-characteristics (ROC) curves were used to estimate predictive value of CTG and NIRS parameters for neonatal pH � 7.20. A computerbased statistical classification was also performed to further evaluate predictive values of CTG and NIRS for neonatal acidosis. Ten (23%) neonates were born with umbilical artery pH � 7.20. Compared to group with pH > 7.20, fetal acidosis was associated with more episodes of placental NIRS deoxygenation (9 (range 2-37) vs. 2 (range 0-65); p<0.001), higher velocity of placental NIRS deoxygenation (2.31 (range 0-22) vs. 1 (range 0-49) %/s; p = 0.03), more decelerations on CTG (25 (range 3-91) vs. 10 (range 10-60); p = 0.02), and more prolonged decelerations on CTG (2 (range 0-4) vs. 1 (range 0-3); p = 0.04). Number of placental deoxygenations had the highest prognostic value for fetal/neonatal acidosis (area under the ROC curve 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.70-0.99). Computer-based classification also identified number of placental deoxygenations as the most accurate classifier, with 25% false positive and 93% true positive rate in the training dataset, with 100% accuracy when applied to the testing dataset. Placental deoxygenations during labour measured by NIRS are associated with fetal/neonatal acidosis. Predictive value of placental NIRS for neonatal acidosis was superior to that of CTG.

Contribution of proactive management of healthcare risks to the reduction of adverse events in a maternity hospital

“…The different classifications and variable guidelines regarding the group of patients eligible for this examination, as well as the frequency at which it should be performed, demonstrate the difficulty in achieving high specificity for the test 12–16. The use of near-infrared spectroscopy to assess fetal circulation oxygenation during labour, whether in the fetal head or placental area, has been tested but still has limited and inconclusive results 17 18…”

“… 12–16 The use of near-infrared spectroscopy to assess fetal circulation oxygenation during labour, whether in the fetal head or placental area, has been tested but still has limited and inconclusive results. 17 18 …”