Variable decelerations during nonstress tests are not a sign of fetal compromise.

An examination of 908 fetal heart rate tests of 418 consecutive patients revealed brief variable decelerations in more than 50.7% of the patients. Although an association existed with nuchal cord location found at delivery, no association existed between these variable decelerations and fetal heart rate decelerations during labor, low Apgar scores at birth, or birth weight. We find no evidence to suggest that these brief variable decelerations are a sign of fetal compromise or an indication for obstetric intervention.