Admission test: a predictive test for fetal distress in high risk labour

To study predictive utility of admission test (AT) for perinatal outcome in high risk labours.

A hundred patients at risk of fetal jeopardy due to uteroplacental insufficiency were screened by admission test. The traces were classified as per the criteria suggested by Ingemarsson and Arulkumaran (1986). The perinatal outcome was correlated with the initial FHR pattern and Chi square test was applied to the results.

Fifty-eight patients had reactive, 35 had equivocal and 7 had ominous tracing. The incidence of operative delivery for fetal distress showed a progressive rise from reactive (5.17%) to ominous (28.5%) pattern group. The perinatal morbidity also showed a rise from 6.89% in the reactive to 31.42% in the equivocal (p < 0.01) and 85.71% in the ominous group (p < 0.02). The reactive pattern was assuring of the fetal well being for next 5 hours. Presence of late decelerations and decelerations of 60 beats or more below the baseline were additional ominous characteristics, associated with a significant increase in perinatal morbidity.

Reactive AT appears to be predictive of fetal well being in high risk labours also. Repeat tracing 4 to 5 hours apart may improve the predictive accuracy. Equivocal and ominous patterns require vigilant monitoring.