Effects of a modified maternal position during labour on fetal oxygenationmeasured by pulse oximetry

Background: The evaluation of the birth position and its effects on materna l and fetal wellbeing has been a topic of perinatal research over the last decades. The aim of our observational study was to determine the effects of a modified and vertical maternal position on fetal oxygen saturation measu red by pulse oximetry. Methods: Fetal oxygen saturation was measured by pulse oximetry in 56 labou ring women randomly and successively adopting the supine position in 96.4%, the sitting position in 25.0%, the standing position in 14.3% and the pron e position in 12.5%. The statistical analysis addressed the integrated 10 m inutes period of SpO(2) registrations before versus after adopting the modi fied position, Furthermore the mean values and the standard deviation (SD) for the total registration periods of different birth position was calculat ed. Results: While the supine position induced a reduction in oxygen saturation , sitting and prone position were favorable for fetal oxygenation as compar ed to horizontal position. Discussion: These findings implicate a clinical benefit of the modified bir th position.