EBME Forums Forums Free discussion Free discussion CTG Heart Rate Errors

Does anyone have any info on maternal heart rate being mistaken for feotal heart rates when using CTG machines.

Cheers
Phil

Yes ... this has always been one of the design considerations with CTG's. Off the top of my head I think that the discrimination is usually based upon the assumed frequencies of the two rates - with the FHR being faster in normal cases.

No doubt clever circuitry is in place aimed at distinguishing between MHR and FHR.

Have you made enquiries with Mr.Google?

It depends on what sort of information you are looking for, we recently experienced these problems in our Labour Ward, and it all came down to user issues, which were resolved by careful positioning of the transducers /switching to FSE, as checking the foetal and maternal heart rate independently.

The last MHRA guideline on this that I recall is
http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/dts-bs/documents/medicaldevicealert/con085077.pdf

I was also wondering whether Phil's post was related to "users' issues"!

That's an interesting link about a "problem" that has been going on since the early days of foetal monitoring by ultrasound. It actually saddens me that this stuff is (apparently) still so badly understood.

I note as well that the "Medical Device Alert" does not actually relate to a particular manufacturer and model of *"fetal" [sic] monitor, but rather refers to a nursing (midwifery, obstetrical) procedural matter. No doubt (and as we all know) it's all written off as yet another case of "blaming the kit" ... and (of course) lessons will be learned.

* Is the MHRA an Agency of the British Government?

Please see new thread, spelling & language issues.