Cardiac time intervals of normal fetuses using noninvasive fetal electrocardiography.

Objectives: To evaluate the fetal cardiac time intervals from the longitudinal analysis of noninvasive fetal electrocardiography (fECG) in normal pregnancies.

Methods: One hundred singleton pregnancies were examined in this longitudinal study. Cardiac time intervals were derived from fetal electrocardiograms obtained noninvasively using three electrodes placed on the maternal abdomen.

Ventricular bigeminy misdiagnosed as fetal bradycardia by cardiotocography--the value of non-invasive fetal electrocardiography.

We document the value of non-invasive fetal electrocardiography (fECG) in a case of fetal arrhythmia in which an unnecessary cesarean section was almost performed. The fetal heart rate (fHR) was 60-70 beats per minute (bpm) on the cardiotocography (CTG), with occasional, sudden fluctuations to 130 bpm. This was probably a result of the technical limitations of the CTG.