Intrapartum fetal monitoring: Maximizing benefits and minimizing risk

Intrapartum fetal heart rate monitoring can yield useful data for case management. All clinically significant FHR decelerations are initiated by interruption of the pathway of oxygen transfer from the environment to the fetus. Intrapartum interruption of fetal oxygenation does not result in CP unless the fetal response progresses to the stage of significant fetal metabolic acidemia. Moderate variability and/or accelerations reliably predict absence of fetal metabolic acidemia at the time they are observed.