Abstract

Objective: To investigate the variations of nucleated red blood cell (NRBC) counts in acute and chronic fetal hypoxia and to examine if it could be possible to establish a cutoff value for the number of NRBCs for prediction of fetal acidosis. Method: We prospectively studied 77 pregnant women. Patients were grouped as acute ( n=11) and chronic fetal distress ( n=21) and controls ( n=45). At delivery the umbilical cord was double clamped and blood samples were collected. Results: The mean NRBC counts in chronic fetal distress group was higher than acute fetal distress. NRBC counts were found to be correlated with umbilical cord pH ( r=−0.57; P<0.001). The cutoff value predicting fetal acidosis was determined as 14/100 leukocytes (sensitivity 87%, specificity 81%) by using ROC analysis. Conclusion: The duration and the severity of fetal asphyxia may be predicted by the number of NRBCs per leukocyte.

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