Review article
CARDIOTOCOGRAPHY: FROM THE FIRST DETECTION OF FETAL HEART RATE TO FIGO GUIDELINES
Vesna Harni
Maja Gudelj
Nataša Šemnički
Abstract
It has taken almost 150 years from the first detection of fetal heart rate to the creation of technical prerequisites for the development of cardiotocography – continuous and simultaneous registration of fetal heart rate and uterine contractions. Further reopening of scientific idea and understanding of cardiotocography has resulted in the development of different schemes and scores to assess the fetal heart rate recording patterns. FIGO guidelines, which were reported at the end of 1980, enable the objective assessment of fetal heart rate recording patterns. It also enables the use of uniformed definitions, decrease in different »inter- and intraobserver« interpretations during CTG analysis and gives directions ¬towards further diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. These guidelines are being regularly applied throughout our ¬hospitals and clinics, but unfortunately nothing has been published about them in the past fifteen years. Therefore we strongly believe that the growing rights of the patients as well as the doctors’ growing legal responsibilities are requiring from the Croatian Society for Perinatology as its priority the establishment of the unique written guidelines for the ante- and intrapartum cardiotocography.
Keywords
cardiotocography; fetal heart rate; FHR; FIGO guidelines
Hrčak ID:
15806
URI
Publication date:
1.3.2006.
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