Correlation of Antepartum and Intrapartum Fetal Heart Rate Patterns in an unselected Obstetric Cohort at Tertiary Care Centre

Non-Stress test (NST)/cardiotocography (CTG) is a frequently used tool to determine the degree of fetal wellbeing. Good antenatal services backed up by vigilant antepartum and intrapartum monitoring for the progress of labour and fetal conditions are the mainstay in the management of pregnancies. A non-stress test is one of the biophysical techniques for assessing the fetal condition and is one of the mainstays in the management of most high-risk pregnancies. It can identify the fetus in jeopardy, in the compromised intrauterine environment and also the fetus that may not be able to tolerate the stress of labour. This enables an appropriate and timely intervention to achieve the most favourable neonatal outcome. Non Stress test helps us to understand both fetal heart rate and the uterine activity. If we establish a correlation between antenatal NST and intrapartum NST patterns, in future this may help us predict intrapartum fetal distress based on antenatal NST patterns.