Practical Evaluation of the Fetal Cardiac Function.

Edgar Hernandez-Andrade, Beatrice Valentini, Donatella Gerulewicz

Journal: Clinical obstetrics and gynecology 2024;67(4):753-764

PMID: 39431495

Abstract

The fetal heart adapts dynamically to nutrient and oxygen needs from all fetal organs. These continuous changes make it difficult to define normal/abnormal cardiac function based only on the evaluation of a few cycles. Many signs of fetal cardiac dysfunction have been suggested; however, very few can stand as true manifestations of cardiac deterioration, and none has emerged as a single reliable marker of cardiac dysfunction. It is the combination of abnormal findings that provides a more accurate assessment of the status of the fetal heart function.

Address: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School, Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), University of Texas, Houston, Texas.; Department of Medicine and Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.

DOI: 10.1097/GRF.0000000000000899

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MeSH Terms: Humans, Pregnancy, Female, Fetal Heart, Ultrasonography, Prenatal, Heart Diseases, Fetal Diseases, Echocardiography