Fetal distress
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| Fetal distress Classification and external resources | |
| ICD-10 | O68. |
|---|---|
| ICD-9 | 768.2-768.4 |
| DiseasesDB | 4882 |
| MeSH | D005316 |
In medicine (obstetrics), fetal distress is the presence of signs in a pregnant woman—before or during childbirth—that the fetus is not well or is becoming excessively fatigued.
Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of fetal distress include:
- Decreased movement felt by the mother
- Meconium in the amniotic fluid
- Cardiotocography signs
- increased or decreased fetal heart rate (tachycardia and bradycardia), especially during and after a contraction
- decreased variability in the fetal heart rate
- Biochemical signs, assessed by collecting a small sample of baby's blood from a scalp prick through the open cervix in labour
- fetal acidosis
- elevated fetal blood lactate levels indicating the baby has a lactic acidosis
Causes
There are many causes of fetal distress:
- Breathing problems
- Abnormal position and presentation of the fetus
- Multiple births
- Shoulder dystocia
- Prolapsed umbilical cord
- Nuchal cord
- Placental abruption
Treatment
In many situations fetal distress will lead the obstetrician to recommend steps to urgently deliver the baby. This can be done by induction, or in more urgent cases, a caesarean section may be performed.
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Pathology of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O, 630-676) |
|
|---|---|
| Pregnancy with abortive outcome | Ectopic pregnancy - Hydatidiform mole - Anencephaly - some Teratoma |
| Oedema, proteinuria and hypertensive disorders | Pregnancy-induced hypertension - Pre-eclampsia - Eclampsia - Gestational diabetes |
| Other, predominantly related to pregnancy | Gestational pemphigoid |
| Maternal care related to the fetus and amniotic cavity and possible delivery problems | Polyhydramnios - Oligohydramnios - Chorioamnionitis - Premature rupture of membranes - Amniotic band syndrome - Placenta praevia - Braxton Hicks contractions - Antepartum haemorrhage - Placental abruption |
| Complications of labour and delivery | Premature birth - Dystocia (Shoulder dystocia) - Fetal distress - Uterine rupture - hemorrhage - Placenta accreta |
| Other | Puerperal fever - Maternal death |
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
