Kumudini Pradhan1 , Pranati Pradhan2 , Lipsa Patra3
BACKGROUND Intrapartum cardiotocography (CTG) is a test which is used to monitor the foetal heart rate and maternal uterine contractions that can be recorded electronically on a paper trace. The basic principle of intrapartum foetal monitoring is to identify the developing foetal hypoxia in order to prevent subsequent acidaemia and cell damage. The objective of this study is to evaluate the CTG findings in high risk obstetric cases and study the association between abnormal CTG findings with neonatal outcome. METHODS A prospective hospital based study was conducted in 256 high risk pregnant women fulfilling the eligibility criteria, who were admitted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, VSSIMSAR, Burla, over a period of 2 years from November 2017 to October 2019. CTG monitoring was done for the study population and trace was interpreted. Parameters like mode of delivery, colour of liquor, APGAR score, and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admission were noted and recorded. RESULTS In our study population, normal CTG pattern was observed in 68% while suspicious and pathological pattern was observed in 22.6% and 9.4% pregnancies respectively. Incidence of meconium stained liquor was significantly more among patients with suspicious (67.2%) and pathological (87.5%) traces compared with normal (19%) traces. 10.9% of normal trace, 62.1% of suspicious and 83.3% of pathological trace groups were delivered by Lower Segment Caesarean Section (LSCS). Association of suspicious and pathological pattern in CTG and NICU admission was found to be statistically significant (p< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Intrapartum CTG monitoring can be used as an important non-invasive tool to diagnose foetal compromise during the course of labour and can help in better management of high risk obstetric patients, thus reducing neonatal mortality.
