Case Report
Fetal Circulatory Variation in an Acute Incident
Causing Bradycardia
Safak Olgan,
1
Mehmet Sakinci,
1
Murat Ozekinci,
1
Nasuh Utku Dogan,
1
Erkan Cagliyan,
2
and Sabahattin Altunyurt
2
1
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, 07059 Antalya, Turkey
2
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine, 35340 Izmir, Turkey
Correspondence should be addressed to Safak Olgan; safakolgan@gmail.com
Received 11 November 2014; Revised 22 November 2014; Accepted 4 December 2014; Published 18 December 2014
Academic Editor: Svein Rasmussen
Copyright © 2014 Safak Olgan et al. his is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Umbilical artery\vein, middle cerebral artery, and ductus venosus Doppler velocimetry were performed at 33 weeks of gestation
in the settings of an intrauterine growth restricted fetus during a heart rate deceleration. Interestingly, we recorded a sudden onset
redistribution of fetal blood low with fetal bradycardia. Spontaneous normalization of waveforms was observed once fetal heart
rate returned to normal. Our case provides evidence to circulatory variation of a human fetus resulting from an acute incident
causing bradycardia.
1. Introduction
Hypoxemia was known to alter fetal cardiac functions. he
major alterations can be summarized as the decrease in
cardiac output, increase in arterial pressure and associated
aterload, and major redistribution of the blood low by
selective peripheral vasoconstriction [1]. Doppler velocime-
try relects the hypoxemic status of the fetus, and decrease
in oxygen saturation subsequently results in changes of fetal
blood low waveforms [2]. However, we neither know the
circulatory changes that occur with an acute insult such as
fetal bradycardia nor if there is a chance of spontaneous
normalization as the primary insult ceases in an intrauterine
growth restricted human fetus.
2. Case Presentation
A 38-year-old multiparous woman at 33 weeks of gestation
was referred to Dokuz Eylul University Hospital for evalua-
tion of fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Maternal
vital signs were within normal limits at the time of admission.
Cardiotocographic (CTG) monitoring revealed nonreassur-
ing fetal heart rate tracing and few fetal movements. here
were mild uterine contractions 20 minutes apart. A Voluson
V730 Expert (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA) ultra-
sound machine was used for ultrasound examination. Fetal
biometry was below 5th percentile, but amniotic luid index
was consistent with normal amniotic luid volume (85 mm).
Early in Doppler ultrasonography, we manually determined
a uterine contraction and then coincidentally recorded the
fetal Doppler velocimetry during a heart rate deceleration
(70 beats/minute, 4 minutes). During this period, fetal
umbilical artery blood low diminished progressively till
diastolic blood low disappeared (Figure 1(a)). Umbilical vein
was in single pulsating pattern (Figure 1(b)). Middle cerebral
artery (MCA) consistent with brain sparing turned into
high resistance pattern (Figure 1(c)). Interestingly, character-
istic ductus venosus (DV) tracing, demonstrating marked
prolongation of ventricular diastole with delayed onset of
reversed A-wave, was recorded (Figure 1(d)). Spontaneous
reversion of these waveforms to predeceleration phase was
observed once fetal heart rate returned to normal (Figures
1(e), 1(f), 1(g), and 1(h)). he patient was hospitalized and
initially monitored with continuous CTG. Shortly ater the
fetal monitoring, we detected a late type of deceleration
for a second time (Figure 2). She was recommended bed
rest and hydrated with 1000 mL of lactated Ringer solution.
Additionally, maternal corticosteroid was given (two doses
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 2014, Article ID 820318, 4 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/820318