Fetal Heart Rate Telemetry System for Monitoring of High Risk Pregnancies

Park, Moon Il; Hwang, Yeun Young; Chung, Sung Ro; Lee, Jai Auk; Park, JI Soo; Koo, Mi Kyung

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to establish whether FHR recording tape and telemetry system at home interpreted by remote telemedicine link is comparable to interpretation at hospital in a high-risk patient population. Patients and
METHODS
Twenty women whose pregnancy was suspected as high risk were entered to study. All pregnancies were at term(7 at 38th weeks, 7 at 39th weeks, 6 at 40th weeks). Remote FHR monitoring at hospital was made for consecutive 6 days, using FHR-telemetry system at home which already developed and used by authors from 1991. Patients recorded FHR sound using recording tape for 5 days. On the 5th day, real-time transmitting of FHR sound to the hospital was also done via telephone lines after recording of FHR sound. On the 6th day, FHR test(NST) was performed at hospital. The signal loss(%), baseline FHR(bpm), and FHR variability were compared using computerized FHR analysis system(HYFM-I) after re-play of 5-days recording tapes at hospital with real-time transmitting data and in-hospital FHR test results.
RESULTS
The signal loss was highest with real-time transmiting data when comparing with in-hospital FHR analysis. No significant differences were observed among 5-days data of FHR recording tapes.
CONCLUSIONS
Frequent antenatal visit of high-risk pregnancy patients were in diHuities of their pregnancy outcomes. And many rural areas of our country are without adequate access to basic maternity services. From this point of view, a fetal telemedicine service is needed, and in fact, technically and clinically feasible. Our demonstration suggests that such a service reduces the need for hospital visit of high risk pregnancy women. Further evaluation in a variety of clinical settings is now indicated, along with cost-benefit analysis.