FETAL BLOOD-SAMPLING IN LABOR

Cardiotocography is the most widely used method to monitor fetal well- being during labor. It has been shown that this technology is affected by a large intra and interobserver variability, that reduces its reli ability. Moreover, it should be remembered that CTG is in condition to detect early fetal heart rate patterns that may indicate fetal hypoxa emia but it is not able to assess precisely the level of fetal comprom ise. This assessment can be done by examining fetal blood for pH that can be easily obtained in labor. If present, the level of acidemia, is established by measuring the pH which can be of practical use in clin ical management. Values above 7.24 are considered normal, and pH value s lower than 7.20 are expression of fetal acidemia requiring a quick d elivery. The technique of FBS can be easily performed with very few co mplications. The main indication is one of the abnormal or suspicious CTG patterns. By using FBS is a complementary diagnostic tool to CTG i t is possible to reduce the number of false positive thus reducing the number of unnecessary obstetrical interventions.