Umbilical Cord Arterial Blood pH Analysis at Term Pregnancy

Lee, Hee Joong; Cho, Hyun Jung; Lee, Yoon Young; Kwon, Dong Jin; Kim, Sa Jin; Park, Tae Chul; Lew, Young Ok; Shin, Jong Chul; Kim, Dae Hoon

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess the gestational age adjusted values of umbilical cord arterial blood pH in term pregnancy with normal Apgar score.
METHODS
We performed in attempt to compare umbilical arterial blood pH values for in term 757 singleton pregnancy, immediately after delivery of live-born infants delivery, with normal 1 and 5 minutes Apgar score. They were divided into 380 cases of normal full term vaginal delivery without any complication and 377 cases of elective cesarean section with normal fetal heart rate tracing. We determined gestational age, parity, Apgar score.
RESULTS
There was a significant decline correlation between gestational age and umbilical artery pH (P=0.018). In acidemia, the odds ratio was increasing from 37 weeks to 41 weeks but there was no association between normal Apgar score and pH less than 7.10 with increasing gestational age. We evaluated the umbilical artery pH level in different delivery mode. In uncomplicated normal vaginal delivery, negative significant correlation was found (P=0.022), and elective cesarean section case did not show a statistically significant level.
CONCLUSION
Our data suggested that umbilical artery pH has a negative relation with gestational age during term period.