Uterine activity in labour and the risk of neonatal encephalopathy: a case control study.

Objective: To determine the relationship between intrapartum contraction frequency, rest interval duration, and cervical dilation speed and the risk of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Study Design: This was a retrospective case-control study conducted in a maternity hospital in Dublin, Ireland. Babies born without major congenital anomalies between September 2006 and November 2017 at ≥ 35 + 0 weeks' gestational age were eligible.

Fetal heart rate patterns in labor and the risk of neonatal encephalopathy: A case control study.

Objective: To describe the accuracy of intrapartum fetal heart rate abnormalities as defined by National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guidelines to predict moderate-severe neonatal encephalopathy of apparent hypoxic-ischemic etiology.

Study Design: A case-control study of HIE risk factors was conducted. Eligible babies were born in a single maternity hospital in Dublin, Ireland between September 2006, and November 2017 at ≥35 + 0 weeks' gestational age.

Intrapartum uterine activity and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review.

Background: Increased uterine activity (UA) may not allow adequate recovery time for foetal oxygenation.

Methods: The aim of the study was to determine if increased UA during labour is associated with an increased risk of either short- or long-term neurological injury in term neonates, or with neonatal proxy measures of intrapartum hypoxia-ischemia. MEDLINE, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.

A wavelet-based algorithm for automated analysis of external tocography: How does it compare to human interpretation?

Background: Studies which use external tocography to explore the relationship between increased intrapartum uterine activity and foetal outcomes are feasible because the technology is safe and ubiquitous. However, periods of poor signal quality are common. We developed an algorithm which aims to calculate tocograph summary variables based on well-recorded contractions only, ignoring artefact and excluding sections deemed uninterpretable.