Transcutaneous Carbon Dioxide Measurements in the Fetus During Labor

Abstract

Transcutaneous partial pressure of carbon dioxide (transcutaneous PCO 2 ) was measured in 55 fetuses during labor with a carbon dioxide electrode applied to the fetal scalp by a suction ring. The application procedure was simple and reliable, with reapplication required only 0.6 times per patient. The transcutaneous PCO 2 recordings were of good quality and were correlated to carbon dioxide tensions in the umbilical artery (r = 0.60, p 2 obtained by fetal scalp blood sampling (r = 0.96, p 2 was significantly higher than in the uncompromised fetus. Although transcutaneous PCO 2 monitoring might be useful for surveillance of the fetus during labor, it must still be reserved for scientific purposes for the time being.