In This Module:

• Five Key Components of Fetal Heart Rate Tracings
• Early Deceleration
• Late Deceleration
• Variable Deceleration
• Oligohydramnios
• Fetal Tachycardia
• Sinusoidal Pattern
• Approach to FHR Training

In this section, we'll review fetal heart rating tracings. Before we delve into some of the high-yield pathologies in this topic, we'll first review some of the key components that go into these tracings.

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Pictured here is a typical schematic of a fetal heart rate tracing. We can see the actual fetal heart rate represented here in beats per minute or BPM on the top half of this schematic.

The fetal heart rate will oscillate up and down, up and down. By interpreting changes in the fetal heart rate over time, you can use these tracings to help us measure the health and viability of the fetus and to determine whether any intervention is required.

On the bottom half of this schematic, we have the contractions coming from the mother. The strength of these cont...

In This Module:

• Approach to Postpartum Fever
• Atelectasis
• Endometritis
• Breast Engorgement
• Septic Pelvic Thrombophlebitis
• Mastitis

Postpartum fever is defined as a temperature greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater than 38 degrees Celsius which occurs at least 24 hours after delivery.

When encountering these questions on examinations, the key is to use the number of days postpartum to narrow down your differential diagnosis.

Once we know the postpartum day on which the fever is occurring, there will only be one or two options to choose from. This can be extremely useful on exam questions.

One caveat to also keep in mind is that chills and rigors immediately after delivery of the placenta are completely NORMAL in the context of pregnancy and delivery. This is something that examiners like to include to throw you off when they're writing questions.

So keep in mind that chills and rigors immediately after delivery of the placenta are normal and do not constitute any...

In this Module:

• Preterm Labor Risks to the Infant
• Braxton Hicks Contractions
• Fetal Fibronectin (FNN)
• Diagnosing Preterm Labor
• Managing Preterm Labor
• Tocolytics
• Magnesium Sulphate
• Predicting Preterm Labor
• Preventing Preterm Labor

High-yield topics related to preterm labor include:

1. Risks to the Fetus Involved in Preterm Labor
2. Braxton Hicks Contractions aka False Labor
3. Diagnosis of Preterm labor
4. Management of Preterm Labor
5. Prevention of Preterm Labor

Preterm Labor Risks to the Infant

Question writers like to ask about preterm labor, its complications, diagnosis, prevention, and management. There's a good reason for this as there are significant risks to the fetus and ultimately the infant when it comes to preterm labor.

Preterm labor can increase the risk of:

1. The Development of Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome
2. Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD)
3. Retinopathy of Prematurity
4. Necrotizing Enterocolitis.
5. Patent Ductus Arteriosus
6. Intraventricular Hemorrhage
...