Routine umbilical cord gas analysis – is it worth it?
Routine cord blood gas analysis – harmful or helpful?
New research
Would you let ChatGPT interpret your CTG?
The paper assesses the performance of four Large Language Models for interpreting CTG traces of pregnant women. None of them were fit for purpose. Invest in learning about fetal physiology and how to interpret heart rate patterns and don’t delegate this to a computer!
Being an “outstanding” maternity service means very little
The UK has experienced ongoing maternity care crises. A study of UK maternity services showed that quality ratings did not correlate with maternal and neonatal outcomes. It is time to question the effectiveness of current quality assessment processes and measures.
If in doubt, do more of the same?
Continuous fetal monitoring (CFM) technologies are currently being developed for high-risk pregnancies. CFM includes monitoring fetal heart rate and movements. There are concerns about signal quality, and there is an urgent need for research to demonstrate whether CFM actually helps. What impact will it have on women and maternity professionals if it is implemented more widely?
Should we be using amnioinfusion?
Amnioinfusion is a procedure that delivers fluid into the uterus, aimed at improving fetal outcomes during labor, particularly when decelerations occur. A recent study found a significant reduction in total deceleration area post-amnioinfusion but lacked a control group. Caution is advised before widespread adoption of this practice.
Does CTG monitoring make it harder to have a great birth?
A recent Australian study investigated women’s experiences with various fetal monitoring methods during labor, finding that wired CTG was predominant. First-time mothers reported more CTG use, which correlated with higher emergency cesarean rates and epidural use. Many women felt monitoring negatively impacted their experiences, highlighting a need for improved woman-centered maternity care practices.
When evidence fails to change practice
It’s a valid question. With at least 40 years of evidence showing that CTG monitoring doesn’t improve outcomes, wondering why we are still doing CTGs is a fair question. New research highlights why changing practice is so hard. And I share what I’m going to be doing to make it happen…
Arrhythmias – is this a missing link in the fetal monitoring story?
Recent research in fetal sheep indicates that existing CTG technology may overlook critical heart rhythm abnormalities due to low oxygen levels. Further studies are necessary for validation.
Can CTG monitoring prevent HIE? The problem of prevalence.
A recent Finnish study explored HIE and its preventability with CTG use. Findings suggest that timely interventions may have avoided HIE for one in five women with an affected. However, this study does not establish CTG superiority over intermittent auscultation for monitoring fetal health.
The state of midwifery in Australia: Midwifery Futures
A summary of the research outputs from the Midwifery Futures project.
Birth Small Talk 