Maternal Oxygen Administration for Fetal Distress II

The Effect of Maternal Long Term High Flow Oxygen Administration During Labor on Umbilical Cord Blood Gases

Supplementary oxygen is routinely administered to patients, even those with adequate oxygen saturations, in the belief that it increases oxygen delivery. However, oxygen delivery depends not just on arterial oxygen content but also on perfusion.

Maternal oxygen administration has been used in an attempt to lessen fetal distress by increasing the available oxygen from the mother. However, the effect of supplemental maternal oxygen therapy on fetal acid base status has been debated for more than seven decades.

The investigators found the use of 2 L/min maternal oxygen during the second stage of labor did not adversely affect either the umbilical artery pH value or the fetal heart rate (FHR) pattern distribution.

Inclusion Criteria:

at term (>37 weeks, <42 weeks), singleton, cephalic presentation, spontaneous or induced labor, normal labor, category I FHR tracings, 2 to 3 cm of cervical dilation in nulliparity, 1 to 2 cm of cervical dilation in multipara, informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

respiratory or cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus or insulin-treated gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertension or preeclampsia, oligohydramnios, fetal growth restriction, placental abruption, cephalopelvic disproportion, meconium-stained amniotic fluid, tachysystole, having received O2, uterine incision (myomectomy or perforation), anemia, fever, chorioamnionitis, tobacco or alcohol use, disorders in oxygen saturations, hypotension, uncomfortable with facemask.