Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 19, 2026
In utero Measurement of Heart Rate in Mouse by Noninvasive M-mode Echocardiography
Published on: November 22, 2013
Measurement of neonatal heart rate using handheld Doppler ultrasound
Amanda Dyson1, Michele Jeffrey1, Martin Kluckow1,2
1Royal North Shore Hospital, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sydney, Australia.
Objective:
This pilot study aimed to determine whether handheld Doppler ultrasound is feasible and reliable for measuring neonatal heart rate (HR) when compared with ECG.
Setting:
Stable newborns were recruited from the neonatal intensive care unit and postnatal ward between July 2014 and January 2015 at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
Interventions:
Each newborn had their HR recorded every 15 s over 145 s using four different modalities: ECG, counted audible Doppler (AD) over 10 s, pulse oximetry (PO) and the Doppler display (DD).
Outcome Measures:
The correlation and variation between each modality and ECG.
Results:
51 newborns with a median gestational age of 38 weeks (27-41) and a mean weight of 2.78 kg (0.82 to 4.76) with a median postnatal age of 3 days (0-87) were studied. There was a mean difference of 0.69 bpm (95% CI -2.9 to +1.5) between AD-HR and ECG-HR with good correlation between modalities (r=0.94, p<0.01). The median time to achieve AD-HR was 3 s (1-45). The mean difference between DD-HR and ECG-HR was 5.37 bpm (95% CI -12.8 to +2.1) with moderate correlation (r=0.37, p=0.04). The mean difference between PO-HR and ECG-HR was 0.49 bpm (95% CI -1.5 to +0.51) with good correlation (r=0.99, p<0.01). The variability between AD-HR and ECG-HR decreased with decreasing weight.
Conclusions:
AD-HR correlates well with ECG-HR. Further research in the delivery room is recommended before using AD-HR in this area.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Assessing Blood pressure using a doppler ultrasound
Pre-Procedural Guidelines for Doppler Ultrasound Blood Pressure Assessment:
Preparation of Equipment:
01:30Equipments Used To Measure Blood Pressure
This invasive approach involves cannulating a peripheral artery. During each cardiac contraction, pressure generates mechanical motion within the catheter, transmitted through rigid, fluid-filled tubing to a transducer. This transducer converts mechanical motion into electrical signals displayed as waveforms on a monitor. An automatic flushing system prevents blood backflow. Due to the potential risk of unexpected arterial blood loss, this method is primarily used in intensive...
01:13Special considerations while measuring pulse
01:14Fetal Circulation
Two umbilical arteries transport blood from the fetus to the placenta. At the placenta, the blood absorbs oxygen and nutrients while simultaneously eliminating waste products. This oxygen-enriched and nutrient-rich blood then returns to the fetus through one...
01:30Pulse rhythm
Conversely, an irregular pulse pattern is termed dysrhythmia, stemming from disruptions in cardiac...