CORRELATION OF FETAL HEART-RATE DECELERATIONS FOLLOWING ACOUSTIC STIMULATION WITH PERINATAL OUTCOME

This was a retrospective study of acoustic stimulation response and pe rinatal outcome oi 688 fetuses undergoing nonstress testing. Acoustic stimulation was performed within 7 days of delivery, and responses wer e classified based on the presence of an acceleration, deceleration, o r both. Responses were correlated with perinatal outcome. Abnormal out come was defined as: cesarean section for nonreassuring fetal heart ra te patterns with an acidotic umbilical artery cord gas; delivery at le ss than 32 weeks for nonreassuring antenatal fetal testing; meconium a spiration syndrome or mechanical ventilation at 36 weeks or greater; n eonatal seizures; 5-minute Apgar score less than 7; and stillbirth. Fe tuses who demonstrated deceleration responses were significantly more likely to have abnormal perinatal outcomes when compared with those wi th acceleration responses (p <0.001). Although combination acceleratio n-deceleration responses were more often associated with abnormal peri natal outcome when compared with pure acceleration responses, differen ces were not significant. A deceleration response following acoustic s timulation is associated with increased risk for adverse perinatal out come and may merit further evaluation.