Prolonged end-stage fetal heart rate deceleration: a reanalysis.

In an earlier publication we reported on 18 patients who had what was described as prolonged fetal heart rate (FHR) deceleration in the second stage of labor and who had uniformly good outcome. It was believed that the reason for the good outcome was early diagnosis and rapid delivery when the FHR deceleration did not improve by the time the patient entered the delivery room. We have continued to handle this type of deceleration pattern in a similar fashion with good results, but 18 additional cases of prolonged end-stage FHR deceleration associated with a poor outcome are reported along with 1 case of intrauterine demise. Physicians who use the fetal monitor need to be aware of this potentially ominous FHR pattern.