New device prevents oxygen deficiency during birth
Experience with a new device used in labour wards at Rigsphospitalet and Gentofte Amt Hospital in Copenhagen, shows that the number of babies with oxygen deficiency during labour can be decreased by half.
■ By CHRISTIAN THYE-PETERSEN
After nine months of waiting, sudden problems for the baby – and nervous glances from the doctor – are the last thing a couple to soon become parents wishes for when the moment is soon to come. Experiences of a new device at among others Rigshospitalet and Gentofte Amt Hospital gives hope that this will happen less often.
Rigshospitalet have now for almost one year - Gentofte a little longer - used the so called STAN device that effectively shows the condition of the fetus heart during labour. And the result is that the number of babies with oxygen deficiency has been halved. During a period of eight months there were 50 % less babies over 36 weeks gestation born with a critically low pH value in the umbilical cord. If the pH in the umbilical cord is below a certain value there is an increased risk for the baby to develop seizures and brain damage. If this tendency remains, the number of babies with oxygen deficiency at Rigshopsitalet will decrease from 55 last year to 27 this year.
"With this device we have an extra parameter for assessing the condition of the fetus. This means that we with greater accuracy can decide if we should "take out" the baby immediately or keep our hands off and let nature have its course" says Thomas Bergholt from the labour ward at Rigshospitalet.
When things have to move fast
The new device shows an electrocardiogram and has a built in computer that interprets the ECG and gives the doctors "prepared" information so that they themselves do not need to interpret the ECG. It is used as a supplement to the so called cardiotocograph technology that women in labour have been acquainted with during the last 30 years.
"CTG technology has been shown to have limitations. We have to say that it was never as effective as it was expected to be when it was first introduced. Now that we have the STAN device it means that parents more seldom will be exposed to the very unpleasant situations when everything suddenly has to move very fast" says Thomas Bergholt.
Rigshospitalet has received the eight devices through a foundation and the current experiences will be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday with participants from the entire country.
Blood tests
The device has been accessible in Europe since 2001 but is only implemented in a few hospitals in Denmark, among others in Horsens, Svendborg and Aalborg. A large Swedish trial including 5,000 women in labour showed results comparable to the practical experiences from Rigshospitalet and Gentofte Amt Hospital.
"The thing is that it is expensive to introduce in the hospitals. It is not just the cost of the device, it is also necessary with thorough training of the staff that will use the device. But it is my experience that it is very useful for both us and the women in labour. The discussion is whether you will get as good results from a method where you take a blood test from the head of the baby" says Thomas Bergholt.
Translation from the article "Nyt udstyr hindrer iltmangel ved fødsel" published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, August 17, 2005.
© Jyllands-Posten, 2005
View original article here (in Danish).
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