[Acute effect of maternal smoking on fetal blood circulation]

The authors examined the acute effects of cigarette smoking on maternal and fetal cardiovascular system in 22 healthy voluntary pregnant smoker women. All examined patients were chronic cigarette smokers who smoked more than 5 cigarettes per day before and during pregnancy. All of the pregnancies subsequently had normal outcomes. Maternal heart rate, and blood pressure, fetal heart rate, resistance indices of fetal descending aorta, those of umbilical artery, middle cerebral artery and uterine artery were measured immediately before and after cigarette smoking. It was found that smoking was associated with increase in maternal and fetal heart rate and an increase in umbilical artery resistance indices was also observed. These changes might be considered as a reaction improving fetal oxygen supply.