What is variable decelerations in fetal?
Variable decelerations are irregular, often jagged dips in the fetal heart rate that look more dramatic than late decelerations. Variable decelerations happen when the baby’s umbilical cord is temporarily compressed. This happens during most labors.
What causes variable fetal heart rate decelerations?
Variable decelerations are caused by compression of the umbilical cord. Pressure on the cord initially occludes the umbilical vein, which results in an acceleration (the shoulder of the deceleration) and indicates a healthy response.
What is the significance of variable decelerations?
The results suggest that in the presence of variable decelerations: there is a higher incidence of fetal distress in labor, low Apgar scores, neonatal intensive care unit admissions, and nuchal cord involvement; the presence of accelerations and normal variability is associated with good neonatal outcome, whereas their …
What does variability on CTG mean?
Variability. Baseline variability refers to the variation of fetal heart rate from one beat to the next.
How do you treat variable decelerations?
Also, you can take certain steps to treat late decelerations and improve fetal oxygen supply.
- Lie down in the left lateral, knee-chest, or right lateral position to relieve compression of the large vein (or vena cava) by your pregnant uterus.
- Your doctor might administer oxygen in response to late decelerations.
Are variable decelerations reassuring?
Most variable decelerations aren’t necessarily a cause for concern unless the heart rate falls to less than 70 bpm for at least 60 seconds. In this case with such a dramatic drop in heart rate, the status of the fetus can be compromised. With such a low heart rate, oxygenation to the fetus may be compromised.
What are nursing interventions for variable decelerations?
Variable Decelerations Repositioning of the mother can relieve this compression if it is minor. However, if these decelerations continue, it could be a sign of more serious cord compression, and the nurse should administer oxygen, stop Oxytocin (Pitocin) if applicable, and check for vaginal cord prolapse.
What is the treatment for variable decelerations?
Interventions for late decelerations are: Lower the head of the bed and turn the mom on her left side to take the pressure off the vena cava and allow blood flow to the heart and to the lungs. Note: This is a key nursing intervention so you have to keep this in mind.
What does marked variability indicate?
Marked variability in FHR patterns may represent an increased sympathetic response in the neonate due to a stressful intrapartum event (e.g. cord compression, meconium) that has not occurred with enough frequency or intensity to cause overt acidemia.
What is short term variability for fetal heart rate?
STV is the beat-to-beat variation in fetal heart rate. The CTG monitor calculates STV computerized by dividing every minute of the trace into 16 sections and the average pulse interval is calculated for every section.
What to do for variable decelerations nursing?
What is the difference between late decelerations and variable decelerations?
Variable decelerations were attributed to umbilical cord compression, and late decelerations were thought to be indicative of interference with maternal-fetal gas exchange during uterine contractions (ie, “uteroplacental insufficiency”).
What heart rate indicates fetal distress?
A baseline bradycardia of less than 110 beats per minute usually indicates fetal distress which is caused by severe fetal hypoxia. If late decelerations are also present, a baseline bradycardia indicates that the fetus is at great risk of dying.
Are variable decelerations common?
Conclusion: While typical variable decelerations are frequently harmless, atypical variations pose a significant risk of fetal hypoxia.
What is normal fetal variability?
The normal FHR tracing include baseline rate between 110-160 beats per minute (bpm), moderate variability (6-25 bpm), presence of accelerations and no decelerations. Uterine activity is monitored simultaneously: contractions frequency, duration, amplitude and relaxation time must be also normal.
What is short term variation on CTG?
Short term variation—Short term variation (STV) examines the variability of the fetal heart rate from beat to beat, and cannot be interpreted by observer visual analysis. This parameter is only available with computerized CTG.
What causes late Decels in labor?
Late decelerations are one of the precarious decelerations among the three types of fetal heart rate decelerations during labor. They are caused by decreased blood flow to the placenta and can signify an impending fetal acidemia.
What are interventions for variable decelerations?
How long does a variable decel last?
The onset, depth, and duration of variable decelerations commonly vary with successive uterine contractions. A decrease in FHR below the baseline of 15 bpm or more, lasting at least 2 minutes but <10 minutes from onset to return to baseline.
What is a deep variable deceleration?
Variable decelerations occur when the fetal heart rate decrease is greater than or equal to 15 beats per minute and last for longer than or equal to 15 seconds but less than 2 minutes from onset to return to baseline.
Does fetal heart rate change with deceleration on the cardiotocography trace?
Objective: To determine the perinatal outcomes in fetuses with baseline fetal heart rate changes with preceding decelerations on the cardiotocography (CTG) trace, and to interpret CTG traces from the aspect of fetal physiology. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of 500 consecutive CTG traces was carried out.
What are complicated variable decelerations in a CTG?
‘complicated’. Complicated variable decelerations are defined by their features as well as the other features of the CTG. These additional features indicate the likelihood of fetal hypoxia and the definition includes one or more of the following: o Rising baseline rate or fetal tachycardia o Reduced or absent baseline variability
What does a normal antenatal CTG trace mean?
Normal antenatal CTG trace: The normal antenatal CTG is associated with a low probability of fetal compromise and has the following features: Baseline fetal heart rate (FHR) is between 110-160 bpm Variability of FHR is between 5-25 bpm Decelerations are absent or early Accelerations x2 within 20 minutes.
What is a normal fetal heart rate CTG?
The baseline rate is the average heart rate of the fetus within a 10-minute window. Look at the CTG and assess what the average heart rate has been over the last 10 minutes, ignoring any accelerations or decelerations. A normal fetal heart rate is between 110-160 bpm. CTG: Baseline heart rate.