Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in growth restricted fetuses with normal Doppler hemodynamic indices.

Background: The autonomic behavior of growth-restricted fetuses at different evolving hemodynamic stages has not been fully elicited.

Aim: To analyze the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) of growth-restricted fetuses that despite this severe condition show normal Doppler hemodynamics.

Subjects: 10 growth-restricted fetuses (FGR group) with normal arterial pulsatility indices (umbilical, uterine, middle cerebral, ductus venosus and aortic isthmus), and 10 healthy fetuses (Control group), 32-37weeks of gestation.

A comparison of heart rate variability in women at the third trimester of pregnancy and during low-risk labour.

Heart rate variability (HRV) has been recognised as a non-invasive method for assessing cardiac autonomic regulation. Aiming to characterize HRV changes at labour in women, we studied 10 minute ECG recordings from young mothers (n=30) at the third trimester of pregnancy (P) or during augmentation of labour (L) (n=30). Data of the L group were collected when no-contractions (L-NC) or the contractile activity (L-C) was manifested.

[Hemoglobin values for pregnant women residing at middle altitude].

Objective: To determine maternal hemoglobin behavior during pregnancy for middle altitude residents and to compare it with that reported in other populations with or without iron supplementation.

Materials And Methods: Hematological values from 227 pregnant women residing at 2 240 m altitude (Mexico City), with low obstetric and perinatal risk, and receiving supplementary iron, were compared with reference values obtained from other populations of pregnant women residing at different altitudes, after correcting for altitude.

Results: While the hemoglobin values for the first and second trimester of pregnancy in our studied population were similar to those reported for iron-supplemented populations (p>0.