Search

Pregnant women with low levels of anti-SSA/Ro autoantibodies (less than 1,000 ELISA units per mL) are at minimal to no risk for fetal atrioventricular (AV) block and may not need traditional echocardiographic heart rhythm monitoring, according to a study presented at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2023 Annual Meeting. However, pregnant patients with higher levels of antibodies may be at greater risk for fetal AV block and could benefit from ambulatory fetal heart rhythm monitoring (FHRM). The study, which drew from a large multiracial national study of pregnant women, found that no AV block occurred in pregnancies with low antibody levels, while 3.8% of pregnancies with higher levels resulted in AV block. The study also highlighted the importance of other factors besides antibody levels in contributing to AV block risk. [Extracted from the article]

Soon after he was born last November at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a baby named Jack was wheeled through a passageway to Children's Hospital, where cardiologists stood by, ready to […]

The article reports on the passage of an Arkansas bill to the Senate which will illegalize abortion if a fetal heartbeat can be detected and mentions that it would necessitate a test for the heartbeat of the fetus before an abortion.

THE FACTS Old wives' tales about predicting a baby's sex -- relying on clues like the way the woman carries and the fetal heart rate -- are usually more fantasy than fact. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]