Value of umbilical blood acid-base studies in fetal assessment.

Determining umbilical vessel blood gas and acid-base values at delivery is a useful, noninvasive means of assessing the condition of the fetus and of reconstructing intrapartum events. These measurements provide a means of auditing the incidence and severity of fetal acidemia and of evaluating the efficacy of clinical measures of detection and treatment. In addition, these parameters may be useful in differentiating the various causes of fetal acidemia.