Electronic fetal monitoring outcome study. (Pregnancy & Birth).A new study reports that electronic fetal monitoring Electronic Fetal Monitoring Definition Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) is a method for examining the condition of a baby in the uterus by noting any unusual changes in its heart rate. (EFM (Ethernet in the First Mile) Using Ethernet to provide connectivity from the customer to the carrier. See 802.3ah. ) does not improve outcomes. In a news release, lead author Lawrence Impey, from John Radcliffe Hospital The John Radcliffe Hospital is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, UK. It is the main teaching hospital for Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University. As such, it is a well developed centre of medical research. , states that "The findings of this trial demonstrate that a widespread and expensive practice is largely unjustified." At the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, 8,580 women admitted to the delivery ward received either admission EFM for twenty minutes or the unit's usual care consisting of intermittent auscultation auscultation Procedure for detecting certain defects or conditions by listening for normal and abnormal heart, breath, bowel, fetal, and other sounds in the body. The invention of the stethoscope in 1819 improved and expanded this practice, still very useful despite the of the fetal heartbeat using a stethoscope. There was no difference between groups in the primary outcome of perinatal death or moderate to severe neonatal morbidity. Although the EFM group had increased use of continued EFM and of fetal blood sampling, there was no difference between groups in the rates of caesarean delivery, instrumental delivery, or episiotomy Episiotomy Definition An episiotomy is a surgical incision made in the area between the vagina and anus (perineum). This is done during the last stages of labor and delivery to expand the opening of the vagina to prevent tearing during the delivery of . Impey says, "We need better research to understand the processes behind these. Only then can we improve things in the years to come, rather than play catch-up by evaluating what we have done in years past." --Lancet, February 2003 |
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