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Fetal heart rate monitors no substitute for medical advice

Fetal heart rate monitors shouldn’t be used as a replacement for a proper medical warned doctors.

Doctors have published information in the British Medical Journal warning that fetal monitors, used to listen to a baby’s heartbeat, may give “false reassurance” and unnecessary anxiety to parents who use them.

The warning follows on the heels of a case where a 34-year-old expectant mother noticed that her baby’s movement had decreased while 38 weeks into her pregnancy. Consulting the fetal monitor, she was reassured to hear a heartbeat.

However, a few days later she went to the hospital after not being able to detect a heartbeat. The doctors performed an emergency ultrasound only to discover that her baby had died in the womb.

Dr. Abhijoy Chakladar, the anesthetist that treated the patient at Princess Royal Hospital, told the BBC that while the death may have been unavoidable, the use of the monitor delayed the woman from seeking medical advice at the hospital.

“These monitors are great fun as long as they are just used for a bit of bonding with the baby or play with older siblings,” said Dr. Chakladar, co-author of the published warning.

“But they become dangerous when they’re used by untrained people as an alternative to seeking medical attention.”

“Expectant mothers who notice a reduction in fetal movement or have any other concerns about their baby’s health should instead contact their midwife or labor ward for expert advice and reassurance.”

Mervi Jokinen, from the Royal College of Midwives, agreed, telling the BBC, “These devices may be sold as a bit of fun for parents to use, but let me be categorically clear; there is absolutely no substitute for speaking to your midwife or doctor as soon as possible if you think that there is something wrong during your pregnancy.”

         

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Sussex experiencing baby boom

Sussex has seen a small but noticeable increase in the amount of children being born at the county hospitals despite controversial plans to reduce services.

A miniature baby boom of sorts is being experienced in Sussex, and more babies are expected to be on the way despite effects from the longest recession on record in the U.K.

When compared to last year, the latest counts show a 4.6 percent increase in new arrivals at county hospitals this year. The most noticeable rise was seen at Worthing Hospital with a nearly 11 percent increase in babies being delivered this year.

The increase at Worthing Hospital can be partially credited to recruitment efforts by the hospital to encourage more expectant mothers to utilize the hospital’s services. The recruitment effort was spurred by the controversial Fit for the Future plan unveiled by NHS in 2006.

The Fit for the Future plan was set up originally as a series of steps to better local services by streamlining and balancing the offering of services in the county. However, concerns were raised in 2007 that the West Sussex Primary Care Trust (PCT) would downgrade services at two of three hospitals in the county with the desire “to provide vital services in more appropriate settings.”

Under the Fit for the Future consultation, Worthing Hospital stood a hefty chance at losing its maternity unit as well as its ambulance and emergency services and its complex surgery departments.

But Worthing wasn’t alone in the baby boom. The Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath saw a combined 4 percent increase in new births. Eastbourne District General Hospital—which also faced reductions in its maternity unit—and the Conquest Hospital in St. Leonard’s saw slight increases in new babies as well.