Abstract:
Objective of the study was to assess the feasibility and usefulness of five second
fractionated intermittent auscultation and to compare it with the conventional fifteen minute
interval continuous auscultation over one minute in detecting Fetal heart ratedecelerations
during labour. Nine hundreds consecutive pregnant women who were in spontaneous labour
between 38 to 41 weeks of gestation with singleton cephalic presentation and normal foetal
heart rate were recruited for the study. Mothers having Gestational diabetes, fetal growth
restriction, abnormal Foetal heart rate on admission, pre eclampsia, prelabour rupture of
membranes 24 hours were excluded from the study. The main out come measure was the
five minute Apgar score. Five second fractionated Fetal heart rate below 9 and above 13
were taken as abnormal. Fractionated intermitted auscultation is feasible and a useful
method of intra partum fetal monitoring and it is superior to conventional method of
intermittent auscultation using Pinard stethoscope
