Compact long-term recorder for the transabdominal foetal and maternal electrocardiogram |
| |
Authors: | J F Piéri Dr J A Crowe B R Hayes-Gill C J Spencer K Bhogal D K James |
| |
Institution: | (1) School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK;(2) School of Human Development, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK |
| |
Abstract: | Foetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring is a proven means of assessing foetal health during the antenatal period. Currently, the
only widely available instrumentation for producing these data is based on Doppler ultrasound, a technology that is unsuitable
for long-term use. For nearly a century, it has been known that the foetal electrocardiogram (FECG) can be detected using
electrodes placed on the maternal abdomen. Although these signals suggest an alternative means of FHR derivation, their use
has been limited owing to problems of poor signal-to-noise ratio. However, the eminent suitability of the transabdominal FECG
for long-term FHR monitoring has suggested that perseverance with the technique would be worthwhile. The paper describes the
design, construction and use of a compact, long-term recorder of three channels of 24 h antenatal transabdominal data. Preliminary
use of the recorder in around 400 short recording sessions demonstrates that FHR records of equivalent quality to those from
Doppler ultrasound-based instruments can be extracted from such data. The success of FHR derivation is, on average, around
65% of the recording period from around 20 weeks gestation (although this figure is reduced from around 28–32 weeks, and the
success rates exhibit a wide range when individual subjects are considered). These results demonstrate that the technique
offers, not only a means of acquiring long-term FHR data that are problematic to obtain by other means, but also a more patient-friendly
alternative to the Doppler ultrasound technique. |
| |
Keywords: | Foetal monitoring Antenatal Foetal electrocardiogram Foetal heart rate Maternal heart rate Electrophysiological recorder |
本文献已被 PubMed SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|