Fetal heart rate patterns in normal and ritodrine-treated pregnancies, detected by magnetocardiography.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to test the validity of magnetocardiography in the diagnosis of fetal heart rate arrhythmias in normal pregnancies, as compared to the number of arrhythmias reported in other series, which were detected by use of other diagnostic techniques. We also evaluated the influence of ritodrine on the fetal heart rhythm in pregnancies treated for the risk of preterm labor by means of magnetocardiography, in order to provide preliminary results that could be utilized in the future establishment of magnetocardiography as a screening procedure in the diagnosis and management of fetal arrhythmias. Methods: We performed a prospective study on two subgroups of pregnant women: one of 84 women with normal healthy singleton pregnancies and one of 68 pregnant women treated with ritodrine for the risk of preterm labor. Results: The prevalence of fetal arrhythmias in the first subgroup was 3.5% (3/84), while in the second subgroup the prevalence was 16% (11/68). Conclusions: The inc...