Fetal heart rate transmission with the facsimile telecopier in rural areas

Over a 30-month period, 24 portable facsimile telecopiers were placed in rural hospitals with delivery services, allowing 24-hour direct transmission of fetal heart rate tracings for consultation. An analysis of the first 209 intrapartum fetal heart rate strips is presented. Variable decelerations were the most frequent indication for consultation, but they were less commonly interpreted as indicating fetal distress. Such units have major advantages in terms of both cost and versatility over previously described systems and have proved extremely valuable to the rural practitioner of obstetrics.