| April 2011 · Vol. 23, No. 4 Editorial
Stop staring at that Category-II
fetal heart-rate tracing…
…and do something instead to improve fetal status!
Robert
L.
Barbieri,
MDEditor in Chief
obg@qhc.com  CASE: Reverie on L & D
The obstetrician stared, mesmerized, at the fetus’s Category-II heart rate tracing. She was worrying about fetal acid-base status, and wondered to herself: “Should I do something to improve fetal status?”
She was also hoping that the mother, lying flat on her back, would deliver—soon.
In 2009, ACOG reaffirmed the clinical utility of assigning a fetal heart rate (FHR) tracing to one of three categories1:
Category I—nothing amiss
The Cat-I FHR tracing is an OB’s dream tracing. It reflects normal fetal acid-base status at the time it is observed.
|
