["Fetal monitoring" within the framework of actual obstetric monitoring]

The introduction of fetal monitoring and its use in high-risk patients was followed in the period 1971-1973 by the first-ever drop in perinatal mortality below 2%. Total monitoring brought about a further reduction in perinatal mortality to 0.95% (1974-1975). This decrease is statistically highly significant. It suggests that among all intensive care methods continuous fetal heart-rate monitoring plays the main contributory role in the early detection of fetal distress. We found that selection of high-risk patients was not sufficient to achieve a drastic reduction in the incidence of acidosis. Only with total fetal monitoring was it possible to effect a significant decrease (from 2.41% to 0.51%) in the number of infants with acidosis (pH less than 7.10).