Placental oxygen transfer and intrauterine resuscitation: a survey of knowledge in maternity care professionals

We surveyed 99 maternity care professionals (obstetricians, midwives and an aesthetists in equal numbers) to assess their knowledge of potential treatm ents during acute intrapartum fetal hypoxia, including maternal oxygen admi nistration. Knowledge of adult arterial oxygen saturation was satisfactory, but few of those surveyed gave a correct figure for fetal oxygenation in t erms of umbilical vein oxygen saturation. Only 58% said that maternal oxyge n inhalation would affect fetal oxygenation, and 76% of those giving a figu re underestimated the potential extent of the increase. Other aspects of in trauterine resuscitation were also not identified. Out of three further fac tors besides maternal oxygen administration which are commonly considered, 76% suggested none or one, and only 24% noted two or all three. Acute fetal hypoxia during labour and delivery may be amenable to correction by improv ing oxygen supply to the placenta. We identified deficits in the underlying knowledge of these processes among maternity care professionals. Without t his knowledge, correctable causes of fetal hypoxia may go untreated. (C) 20 00 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.