Acute fetal distress associated with percutaneous umbilical blood sampling

Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling is emerging as an important procedure in the armamentarium of the obstetrician involved with prenatal diagnosis. It has apparent low morbidity and can be accomplished with relative ease by the experienced operator. We report a series of 42 successful percutaneous umbilical blood sampling procedures in 22 patients and describe the indications and gestational ages of the fetuses undergoing the blood-sampling procedures. Nine of the procedures involved intravascular transfusions. In one of our 42 cases, acute fetal distress developed in a manner similar to that of a previously reported case that was likewise associated with a compromised fetus and ended in death. Because of prompt and immediate delivery, the infant described in this series survived and, although this procedure appears to be relatively safe in experienced hands, it is imperative that the associated complications be duly recorded.