Source
Department of Obstetrics, Second Hospital, Affiliated of Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, China.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the clinical value of the expert type terminal of long-distance electronic fetal heart rate home monitoring system in the application to self-monitoring of pregnant woman at home in peripartum.
METHODS:
All the pregnant women (n = 284) were divided into two groups. Research group (n = 134) contained 73 high risk gravida. There were 78 high-risk gravida in control group (n = 150). In the research group, self-monitoring at home in 134 women was taken by the expert type terminal of long-distance electronic fetal heart rate monitoring system through telephone and fetal movement counting. The women were requested to auscultate and transfer fetal heart rate (FHR) to electronic FHR monitoring center in hospital. Non-stress test (NST) was made 1 approximately 2 times every week when fetal movement was active. When women felt any abnormality of baby, she should immediately test NST and then the photograph of NST was send to FHR monitoring center by telephone. Doctor would make a diagnosis and management in time according to the photograph of NST. In the control group, the way of fetal monitoring was fetal movement counting and regular NST test in the outpatient clinic.
RESULTS:
The incidence of abnormal NST was significantly higher in the research group than that in the control group (respectively 22.0% vs 13.5%, P < 0.05). The neonatal asphyxia was significantly lower in the research group than that in the control group (respectively 1.5% vs 4.0%, P < 0.05). The incidence of abnormal NST was not different between the high-risk women and non-high-risk women in the research group (respectively 22.3% vs 21.6%, P > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS:
The expert type terminal of long-distance electronic FHR monitoring system through telephone is a new way of the FHR self-monitoring at home. The application of this method could ease mental press of the women, decrease significantly perinatal mortality, decrease incidence of neonatal asphyxia, and improve quality of obstetrics. Whatever there are high risk factors in any pregnant women, the system should be applied to all late pregnant women.