Abstract
Human fetal thermoregulation, maternal-fetal heat exchange, and the role of the umbilical cord in these processes are not well understood. Ethical and technical limitations have restricted current knowledge to animal studies, that do not reflect human morphology. Here, we present the first 3-dimensional computational model of the human umbilical cord with finite element analysis, aiming to compute the maternal-fetal heat exchange. By modelling both the umbilical vein and the two umbilical arteries, we found that the coiled geometry of the umbilical artery, in comparison with the primarily straight umbilical vein, affects blood flow parameters such as velocity, pressure, temperature, shear strain rate and static entropy. Specifically, by enhancing the heat transfer coefficient, we have shown that the helical structure of the umbilical arteries plays a vital role in the temperature drop of the blood, along the arterial length from the fetal end to the placental end. This suggests the importance of the umbilical cord structure in maternal-fetal heat exchange and fetal heat loss, opening the way for future research with modified models and scenarios, as the basis for early detection of potential heat-transfer related complications, and/or assurance of fetal wellbeing.
Highlights
The uterus provides a comparatively stable thermal environment for fetal development
Five potential additional studies were located through reference checking of included papers, but none met the inclusion criteria, so only the six records located by the electronic search were eligible for inclusion (Table 1)
Our results showed that temperature, velocity and pressure presented significant decrease in their values between the umbilical arteries (UAs) input and output, while they were almost constant between the umbilical vein (UV) input and output
Summary
The uterus provides a comparatively stable thermal environment for fetal development. During gestation there is a constant temperature gradient between the mother and the fetus (heat clump) (ΔΤmf), with the fetal temperature being consistently 0.3–0.5 ̊C higher than the maternal core temperature [1,2,3,4]. The fetus maintains a higher temperature than the mother, at a constant level of difference, even if the maternal core temperature rises. The heat that is generated by the fetus, is eliminated through the mother [8] This maternal-fetal thermal gradient, that appears to be the same in all mammals [3,4,5,6,7,8,9], including humans [2], allows heat to flow from the warmer fetus to the cooler surroundings
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
