Single sporadic deceleration during reactive nonstress test – clinical significance and risk for cesarean delivery

Abstract

The nonstress test (NST) is a widely applied technique for antepartum fetal assessment despite a high false-positive rate. The evidence regarding the clinical significance of a single sporadic variable deceleration (SSD) in fetal heart rate (FHR) during reactive NST is scarce, and therefore, the optimal management of SSD in a term pregnancy without other signs of fetal compromise has not been established. Thus, we aim to evaluate whether SSD during a reactive NST at term is associated with a higher risk for FHR decelerations during labor and need for intervention.