Copyright
©The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Obstet Gynecol. Feb 10, 2016; 5(1): 102-109
Published online Feb 10, 2016. doi: 10.5317/wjog.v5.i1.102
Published online Feb 10, 2016. doi: 10.5317/wjog.v5.i1.102
Imperative for improvements and international convergence of intrapartum fetal monitoring: A bird’s eye view
Shashikant L Sholapurkar, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Princess Anne Wing, Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust, Bath BA1 3LE, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Sholapurkar SL conceived and wrote the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Author has no conflict of interest or funding to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Shashikant L Sholapurkar, MD, DNB, MRCOG, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Princess Anne Wing, Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust, Combe Park, Bath BA1 3LE, United Kingdom. s.sholapurkar@nhs.net
Telephone: +44-1225-429341 Fax: +44-1225-825464
Received: August 17, 2015
Peer-review started: August 21, 2015
First decision: October 13, 2015
Revised: October 25, 2015
Accepted: November 23, 2015
Article in press: November 25, 2015
Published online: February 10, 2016
Peer-review started: August 21, 2015
First decision: October 13, 2015
Revised: October 25, 2015
Accepted: November 23, 2015
Article in press: November 25, 2015
Published online: February 10, 2016
Core Tip
Core tip: Intrapartum fetal monitoring remains unsatisfactory because of the variability and errors in the interpretation of cardiotocographs and lack of proven benefit. Extensive clinical studies over the last 50 years have given divergent results because of the heterogeneity. There is a need for a significant reform of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) with every aspect critically examined and debated. This analytical essay presents an overview of the current and newer modalities of EFM. It examines controversies and opportunities for improvement in American and European practice. Avoidance of biases, international congruence in terminology/standardization and refinement of adjunctive tests of fetal well-being are explored.