Fetal electrocardiography: feasibility of long-term fetal heart rate recordings

The feasibility and accuracy of long-term transabdominal fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) recordings throughout pregnancy were studied using a portable fECG monitor. Fifteen-hour recordings of fetal heart rate (FHR) were performed in 150 pregnant women at 20–40 weeks of gestation and 1-hour recordings were performed in 22 women in labour and compared with simultaneous scalp electrode recordings. When ≥60% of fECG signals was present, the recording was defined as good. Eighty-two percent (123/150) of antenatal recordings were of good quality. This percentage increased to 90.7 (136/150 recordings) when only the night part (11 p.m.–7 a.m.) was considered. Transabdominal measurement of FHR and its variability correlated well with scalp electrode recordings ( r = 0.99, P < 0.01; r = 0.79, P < 0.01, respectively). We demonstrated the feasibility and accuracy of long-term transabdominal fECG monitoring.