Preterm Birth
Conditions
Keywords
Preterm birth, Fetal nasal Doppler, Fetal breathing
Brief summary
Preterm birth refers to a delivery that occurs before 37 weeks of gestation. Identification of those who will eventually deliver in the preterm period is very important. However, few interventions have been proven to prolong pregnancy in women at risk such as cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin (fFN) level or transvaginal cervical length measurements. In a meta-analysis comparing fetal breathing with cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin (fFN) level or transvaginal cervical length measurements, absence of fetal breathing was superior to other methods for prediction of preterm birth in 48 hours or 7 days. In this study, the investigators hypothesized that if a fetus holds its breath in case of preterm birth, then there may be specific fetal breathing patterns during preterm labor, which may be detected by ultrasonography
Detailed description
Preterm birth refers to a delivery that occurs before 37 weeks of gestation and it is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. 33% of prenatal hospital admissions are due to preterm labor but almost 50% of patients receiving tocolytics in order to prevent birth deliver in the term period. Therefore, identification of those who will eventually deliver in the preterm period is very important. Ideally, identification of modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors for preterm birth in will lead to interventions that help prevent this complication. However, few interventions have been proven to prolong pregnancy in women at risk such as cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin (fFN) level or transvaginal cervical length measurements. Another method for preterm birth prediction is presence of fetal breathing. In a meta-analysis comparing fetal breathing with cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin (fFN) level or transvaginal cervical length measurements, absence of fetal breathing was superior to other methods for prediction of preterm birth in 48 hours or 7 days. In this study, the investigators hypothesized that if a fetus holds its breath in case of preterm birth, then there may be specific fetal breathing patterns during preterm labor, which may be detected by ultrasonography
Interventions
DEVICEFetal nasal Doppler by ultrasonography
Pregnant patients who present with preterm labor will be evaluated with ultrasonography and fetal nasal Doppler will be used to detect specific fetal breathing patterns and measurements will be performed
Sponsors
Batman Maternity Hospital
Baskent University Ankara Hospital
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Pregnant patients between 24-37 gestational weeks with preterm labor : Uterine contractions ≥4 in number in 20 minutes or ≥ 8 in number in 60 minutes and one of the following: * Cervical dilation ≥ 3 cm * Transvaginal cervical length \<20mm
Exclusion criteria
* Multifetal pregnancy * Cervical dilation \> 5 cm * Heavy vaginal bleeding * Non-reassuring fetal non-stress test * Preterm premature rupture of membranes * Intrauterine growth restriction * Oligohydramniosis * Fetal anomaly * Patients who received tocolytics for preterm labor or corticosteroids for lung maturation * Drug or substance use which may depress fetal breathing
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Expiration Duration | Admission ultrasonography | Fetal Expiration Duration |
| Inspiration Duration | Admission ultrasonography | Fetal Inspiration Duration |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Outcome results
None listed