What occurs during external and internal fetal heart rate monitoring of the fetus?

Fetal heart rate monitoring is a procedure used to assess the well-being of the fetus by evaluating the rate and rhythm of the fetal heartbeat. During late pregnancy and labor, your doctor may endorse monitoring the fetal heart rate and other functions. The typical fetal heart rate is between 110 and 160 beats per minute and can differ from five to 25 beats per minute. The fetal heart rate may swap as the fetus responds to circumstances in the uterus. An irregular fetal heart rate or pattern may specify that the fetus is not getting sufficient oxygen or that there are other glitches.

There are two approaches for fetal heart rate monitoring, external and internal:

External fetal heart rate monitoring uses a machine made by Fetal Monitor Manufacturers to listen to or note the fetal heartbeat through the mother's stomach. A fetoscope (a kind of stethoscope) is the most basic kind of external monitor. Another kind of monitor available from Fetal Monitor Manufacturers is a hand-held electronic Doppler ultrasound machine. These approaches are often used during prenatal calls to count the fetal heart rate. A fetoscope or Doppler machine may also be used to check the fetal heart rate at regular intermissions during labor. Incessant electronic fetal heart monitoring may be used during labor and delivery. An ultrasound transducer positioned on the mother's stomach conducts the sounds of the fetal heart to a computer. The rate and pattern of the fetal heart are shown on the computer screen and reproduced on special graph paper.

Internal fetal heart rate monitoring uses an electronic transducer linked straight to the fetal skin. A wire electrode is devoted to the fetal scalp or another body part through the cervical opening and is linked to the monitor bought from Fetal Monitor Manufacturers in India. This kind of electrode has infrequently named a spiral or scalp electrode. Internal monitoring transports a more detailed and reliable transmission of the fetal heart rate than external monitoring because issues such as movement do not affect it. Internal monitoring may be used when external monitoring of the fetal heart rate is insufficient, or closer investigation is required.

During labor, uterine contractions are typically checked along with the fetal heart rate. A pressure-sensitive machine named a tocodynamometer is positioned on the mother's stomach over the area of strongest contractions to measure the length, incidence, and strength of uterine contractions. Because the fetal heart rate and uterine contractions are logged at the same time, these results can be scrutinized together and compared.

Details for the Procedure

Fetal heart rate monitoring is used in approximately every pregnancy to evaluate fetal well-being and recognize any changes that might be related to problems during pregnancy or labor. Fetal heart rate monitoring is particularly obliging for high-risk pregnancy conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and glitches with fetal growth. 

Circumstances during pregnancy in which fetal heart rate monitoring may be used comprise, but are not restricted to, valuation of fetal heart rate during prenatal doctor visits and examining the effect of preterm labor medicines on the fetus.

Dangers of the Procedure

There is no radioactivity used and usually no discomfort from the application of the transducer to the stomach skin. The elastic girdles that hold the ultrasound and pressure transducers in place around your stomach may be slightly uncomfortable. These can be readapted to help you feel more contented. You must lie motionless during some kinds of fetal heart rate monitoring. With internal monitoring, you may knowledge some slight uneasiness during the insertion of the electrode. Dangers of internal monitoring comprise but are not restricted to, contagion and staining of the fetal scalp or other body parts.