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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Instrumentation of Near-term Fetal Sheep for Multivariate Chronic Non-anesthetized Recordings
Published on: October 25, 2015
Medical legal issues in fetal monitoring
Barry S Schifrin1, Wayne R Cohen
1Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Kaiser Permanente-Los Angeles Medical Center, 6345 Balboa Blvd., Bldg. II, Suite 245, Encino, CA 91316, USA. bpminc@aol.com
Despite almost universal fetal monitoring during labor, debates over its role and benefits persist in the medical community and in obstetric negligence lawsuits. Irrespective, there is widespread agreement that improvement in perinatal outcome is possible and that the events of labor contribute significantly to perinatal hazards. Timely application and proper interpretation of the fetal heart rate pattern in concert with evaluations of the maternal condition and the feasibility of safe vaginal delivery permit an evaluation of the quality of care and the preventability of fetal injury whether in peer review or in malpractice cases.
Despite almost universal fetal monitoring during labor, debates over its role and benefits persist in the medical community and in obstetric negligence lawsuits. Irrespective, there is widespread agreement that improvement in perinatal outcome is possible and that the events of labor contribute significantly to perinatal hazards. Timely application and proper interpretation of the fetal heart rate pattern in concert with evaluations of the maternal condition and the feasibility of safe vaginal delivery permit an evaluation of the quality of care and the preventability of fetal injury whether in peer review or in malpractice cases.
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