Reframing antepartum and intrapartum surveillance

Abstract

The original goal of electronic fetal monitoring was to reduce stillbirths. It worked. Then the mission expanded to reducing neurologic impairment including cerebral palsy. Despite 50 years’ experience, the data have been contradictory, and even the key opinion leaders of EFM admit it an only detect about half the problems. Concomitantly, the cesarean delivery rate which has greater complications and costs has increased about 6-fold. Here we review multiple generations of antenatal testing schemes having increasing sophistication but still not too much improvement in outcomes and our re-engineered approach to intrapartum fetal monitoring for which we morph from the subjective Category system which has poor statistical performance metrics to a new approach we call the “Fetal Reserve Index.” The FRI breaks down the tracing into 4 quantifiable components (fetal heart rate, variability, accelerations, and decelerations) and then formally adds to the analysis the presence of increased uterine activity, and maternal, fetal, and obstetrical risk factors. In version 1.0, all parameters are weighted equally. We have shown improved and earlier identification of fetal risk earlier in the pathophysiology allowing less abrupt and dramatic interventions. We have further shown the early postpartum period to be one of commonly unrecognized risks, and we envision a continuum of assessment from antepartum through intrapartum and postpartum for optimal results.