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The Perinatal Quality Foundation has created an examination containing both knowledge-based and judgment questions relating to the interpretation of electronic fetal heart rate monitoring for credentialing all medical and nursing personnel working on a labor and delivery floor. A description of the examination and the rationale for its use throughout the United States is presented.

In 2004, leaders in first-trimester aneuploidy screening and a multidisciplinary group of experts established the Nuchal Translucency Quality Review Program, a national program to standardize education, credentialing, and quality monitoring of nuchal translucency. Since its inception, the program has credentialed more than 6,600 physician and ultrasonographer participants and collected more than 2.4 million nuchal translucency measurements. Ongoing quality monitoring is conducted through statistical analysis comparing the distribution and standard deviation of participants' nuchal translucency measurements against those obtained from a standard referent curve. Results of these analyses are distributed to participants quarterly and are used to track each participant's performance and to trigger performance improvement activities or mandatory remediation. This program could serve as a template for future education and credentialing programs that include partnerships with academic leaders, national professional organizations, and industry.

Despite advances in obstetric and neonatal care, the last several decades have not witnessed an improvement in the prediction or prevention of term cerebral palsy. Obstetric interventions such as electronic fetal heart rate monitoring and cesarean delivery, although biologically plausible as intervention strategies, do not improve perinatal outcomes in clinical practice. In reaction to mounting medicolegal pressure, obstetricians continue to increase the number of cesarean deliveries they perform as a form of defensive medicine, despite evidence that this practice is not associated with improved perinatal outcomes. The current standard for expeditious delivery in a case of potential fetal compromise is described by the "30-minute rule." However, obstetricians' determinations of the need for expedited delivery may be a preferable guide for appropriate delivery timing.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to study fetal growth after reduction of high-order multiple gestations to twins. STUDY DESIGN: Birth weight and gestational age data were collected for 236 triplet and greater multiple pregnancies reduced to twins (113 triplets, 89 quadruplets, and 34 quintuplets or above) and was compared with those of a control group of unreduced twins. RESULTS: Rates of intrauterine growth restriction per pregnancy were significantly different between the nonreduced and all categories of reduced multifetal pregnancies. The incidence of intrauterine growth restriction was 19.4% in the nonreduced twins, 36.3% in pregnancies reduced from triplets, 41.6% in pregnancies reduced from quadruplets, and 50% from higher-order multiple gestations. There was a statistically significant trend toward increasing frequency of intrauterine growth restriction with increasing starting fetal number ( p = 0.04). The increase in intrauterine growth restriction was primarily accounted for by twin pairs with only one growth-restricted newborn. CONCLUSION: Multifetal pregnancy reduction does not reduce the incidence of intrauterine growth restriction in the remaining fetuses to that of nonreduced twins. (AM J OBSTET GYNECOL 1996;174:1233-40.)

Although an association between subclinical intrauterine infection and preterm birth is well established, there is conflicting evidence regarding the benefits of antibiotic administration to women in preterm labor with intact membranes. We attempted to determine the effect of ampicillin-amoxicillin and erythromycin treatment on prolongation of pregnancy, the rate of preterm birth, and neonatal morbidity in patients with preterm labor and intact membranes.A multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was designed and implemented by the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Two hundred seventy-seven women with singleton pregnancies and preterm labor with intact membranes (24 to 34 weeks) were randomly allocated to receive either antibiotics or placebos.Of the 2373 patients screened for participation in this study in six medical centers, 277 women were enrolled (n = 133 for antibiotics group vs n = 144 for placebo group). In each study group, 60% of patients completed all the study medications. The overall prevalence of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity was 5.8% (14/239). No significant difference between the antibiotic group and the placebo group was found in maternal outcomes, including duration of randomization-to-delivery interval, frequency of preterm delivery (37 weeks), frequency of preterm premature rupture of membranes, clinical chorioamnionitis, endometritis, and number of subsequent admissions for preterm labor. Similarly, no significant difference in neonatal outcomes could be detected between the two groups including respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage, sepsis, and admission and duration of newborn intensive special care unit hospitalization.The results of this study do not support the routine use of antibiotic administration to women in preterm labor with intact membranes.

Perinatal asphyxia, whether, prenatal, intrapartum, or neonatal is thought, to be a significant contributor to newborn mobidity and mortality as well as long-term neurological deficits. Development of an intrapartum tool/test that can reliably identify and discriminate between varying degrees of fetal acidemia and suggest whether it is respiratory or metabolic in nature would be highly desirable. This article critically reviews the avallable experience with the currently avallable monitoring techniques and the significance of abnormallties of fetal and intrapartum measurements with respect to the predictive value of the observations avallable to the clinician.

Pregnancy outcome was followed prospectively in women showing maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein values less than 0.4 multiple of the median. Using a radioimmunoassay later shown by others to produce a disproportionate number of low values, we nonetheless detected all three cases of autosomal trisomy (+18, +18, +21) at amniocentesis in 1531 women screened. Although two fetal losses and two autosomal trisomies (trisomy 18) occurred among a subgroup of only 15 women having two values less than 0.25 multiple of the median, fetal losses were in general far less frequent among the 99 women with at least one maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein value less than 0.4 multiple of the median than among women in previous reports. Comparing women with maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein values less than 0.4 multiple of the median against those with normal values (0.4 to 2.49 multiples of the median) also revealed no significant differences with respect to presence or absence of a variety of antepartum or intrapartum complications. Birth weight, gestational age, arterial cord pH, and Apgar scores also failed to differ significantly (one-way analysis of variance, p greater than 0.05). Women with a viable pregnancy who show low maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein values have a more favorable prognosis than previously claimed.

We assessed 18 fetuses who harbored a urinary tract malformation that was diagnosed by antenatal sonography. The antenatal diagnosis corresponded to the postnatal diagnosis in 66 per cent of the cases. We review the course of 6 fetuses who had catheters placed percutaneously to drain dilated urinary tracts that were believed to be caused by posterior urethral valves (5) or an obstructed megaureter (1). Only 2 of these fetuses exhibited valves postnatally. No fetus had any recognized benefit from the antenatal intervention. We found that sonography may not readily differentiate fetuses with hydronephrosis with obstruction from those without obstruction. From this experience we conclude that intervention in pregnancies suspected of harboring a fetus with a malformed urinary tract should be done cautiously. Antenatal sonography is useful to identify the fetus with a dilated urinary tract. This identification permits perinatal specialists to be alerted so that preparations for reconstructive surgery in such cases can be made early postpartum.

Cytologic findings of amniotic fluid material (AFM) in pulmonary arterial blood (PAB) of survivors of amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) are assumed to be pathologic. However, no cytologic studies of central blood from patients without clinical AFE have been reported. To address this question PAB samples from peripartum patients without clinical AFE were examined for the presence and extent of AFM (including squames, mucin, and lanugo hair). Ten samples were obtained from five patients. All patients had at least one sample postpartum. Peripheral blood from a nonpregnant adult female control was processed similarly. Results were compared to a PAB sample from a patient with clinical AFE. The patient with clinical AFE had many squames, clumps of lanugo hair, and mucin in one sample. In six of ten study samples, there were squames, accompanied in two cases by lanugo hair or trophoblast. In nine of ten samples there was mucin. There appeared to be no difference in cytologic findings in patients according to mode of delivery or sampling time. The control blood sample was negative for amniotic fluid-like material. AFM may be found in peripartum patients without clinical amniotic fluid embolism. A quantitative difference was seen between the index patient and each of our five study patients. These findings suggest that there is a quantitative continuum of AFM transported to the central circulation in peripartum patients which may, in part, explain the varied clinical presentations and severity of AFE.

Two hundred ninety-seven patients from the placebo group of the National Institutes of Health Collaborative Study on Antenatal Steroid Therapy for prevention of respiratory distress syndrome were selected for analysis to investigate a possible association between premature rupture of the membranes, tocolytic therapy, and respiratory distress syndrome. Both premature rupture of the membranes and tocolytic therapy with isoxsuprine were individually associated with a lowered incidence of respiratory distress syndrome. However, when present together, their protective effect was not additive and resulted in a higher incidence of respiratory distress syndrome. It is suggested that the use of tocolytic therapy with beta-adrenergic agents be restricted to patients with intact membranes.

Expectant management of prolonged pregnancy is predicated on reassuring biophysical testing. However, even the combination of a reactive nonstress test and normal amniotic fluid volume may not prevent subsequent morbidity. To test the hypothesis that diminished cord Wharton's jelly incurs risk of peripartum cord compression in addition to decreased amniotic fluid, 68 patients with confirmed gestational age greater than or equal to 41 weeks were evaluated prospectively with semiweekly nonstress tests and weekly ultrasound examinations. Amniotic fluid volume was assessed, and umbilical cord diameter was measured and then correlated with the quantity of Wharton's jelly at delivery, determined by cord circumference. A significant correlation between cord circumference and umbilical cord diameter was observed, even in those patients with decreased amniotic fluid volume. Either an amniotic fluid volume less than 3.8 cm or an umbilical cord diameter less than 1.6 cm was associated with significant cord compression patterns. Peripartum morbidity was greatest in the presence of a smaller cord and decreased fluid, suggesting a synergism between these two factors for the risk of cord compression in prolonged pregnancy.

Intrapartum events were studied in 272 patients with meconium-stained amniotic fluid. All infants underwent DeLee suction followed by intubation and 58 of 272 had meconium present below the vocal cords at delivery. Neither the total duration of variable fetal heart rate decelerations or a continuous saltatory pattern nor the presence or absence of late decelerations could be related to an increased risk of meconium below the vocal cords. When a rising baseline fetal heart rate and decreased variability were present as well, a significantly greater proportion of patients had meconium below the vocal cords. Routine obstetric and pediatric suctioning did not prevent the single death that occurred in a fetus who had deep meconium aspiration in utero.

Fetal heart rate abnormalities associated with prolonged pregnancy have been attributed to umbilical cord vulnerability rather than placental insufficiency. Although intrapartum fetal heart rate patterns indicative of umbilical cord compression are common beyond 41 weeks' gestation, fetal intolerance to labor develops only in a subset of such patients. To test the hypothesis that suboptimal placental function contributes to reduced amniotic fluid volume and, ultimately, to fetal intolerance to labor, we prospectively collected biochemical and clinical data on 112 prolonged pregnancies. Data analysis was blinded to outcome and included cord blood acid-base measurements and intrapartum fetal heart rate interpretation. We observed a high incidence of umbilical cord compression (46.4%), but this finding was not predictive of emergent delivery in 32 of 52 cases (61.5%). Fetal acidosis (arterial pH less than 7.20) occurred more often in patients with cord compression, but the anticipated increase in carbon dioxide tension was not observed. Instead, a primary metabolic or combined acidosis was encountered in those fetuses delivered emergently. The additional findings of lower amniotic fluid volume and diminished birth weight in those patients delivered for fetal intolerance to labor suggest a direct role for suboptimal placental function in selected patients with prolonged pregnancy.

No consensus exists for the optimal mode of delivery for twin fetuses. Opinions vary by type of institution (university medical center vs community hospital), country or continent (North America vs Western Europe) and personal preference of individual physicians. This article lists clinical considerations in arriving at the decision and presents them in the form of a decision tree.

To test the applicability of equations for fetal weight estimations in a group of fetuses suspected of being large for gestational age, real-time ultrasound measurements of fetal biparietal diameters and abdominal circumferences were obtained for 34 fetuses of diabetic mothers. In the first phase of the study the accuracy in the prediction of weight was assessed with use of two known equations. In the second phase, biparietal diameter, abdominal circumference, and actual birth weight data of the 34 study fetuses were used as independent variables to determine the best-fitting equation for relating estimated fetal weight (EFW) to biparietal diameter (BPD) and abdominal circumference (AC); this equation is log (EFW) = 0.02597 AC + 0.2161 BPD - 0.1999 (AC X BPD2)/1000 + 1.2659. The standard deviation of differences is 322.26 gm and multiple R = 0.781. In the final phase the reliability of this equation was compared to those of Thurnau and Shepard in 34 additional fetuses of diabetic gravid women. The data suggest that in these fetuses suspected of being large for gestational age the weight estimates calculated at or near term may be enhanced if predictive equations are formulated specifically from the data for such fetuses.

Estetrol (1,3,5(10)-estratrien-3,15α,16α,17β-tetrol; 15α-hydroxyestriol; E 4 ) is derived from both neutral and phenolic precursors which have undergone 15α-hydroxylation in the fetal liver or adrenal. Radioimmunoassays of total estrogens (TE), unconjugated estriol (E 3 ), and unconjugated estetrol (E 4 ) have been utilized to measure the concentrations of these estrogens in 46 amniotic fluid samples from 27 high-risk patients. Thirteen normal patients, 5 diabetic patients, and 9 patients with pregnancy complicated by Rh sensitization were studied. The concentration of TE in amniotic fluid in the uncomplicated pregnancies ranged from 11 to 65 μg per 100 ml. In most cases, the concentrations of E 3 and E 4 were similar, ranging from 0.5 to 2 per cent of the TE, as is expressed by a narrow range of E 3 :E 4 ratios extending from 0.8 to 4.5, with a mean of about 3.0. TE, E 3 , and E 4 concentrations in amniotic fluid obtained from pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus or Rh sensitization did not differ significantly from concentrations found in uncomplicated pregnancies of the same period of gestation. TE concentrations in 33 third-trimester serum samples from 6 patients ranged from 2 to 17 μg per 100 ml. In maternal serum, the concentration of unconjugated E, is usually much higher than the concentration of unconjugated E 3 , with an E 3 :E 4 ratio of approximately 9. TE concentration in amniotic fluid is similar to or higher than TE concentration in maternal serum; E 4 concentration is also higher in amniotic fluid; E 3 concentration is lower in amniotic fluid. There is little indication from this study that the concentration of unconjugated E 4 in amniotic fluid is of predictive value for the diagnosis of fetal compromise.

We examined biparietal diameter, abdominal circumference, and birth weight in 148 preterm infants to assess fetal growth. A statistically significant proportion of preterm fetuses had biparietal diameter and abdominal circumference values below the fiftieth and tenth percentile levels as compared with that expected in normal fetuses. Similarly, birth weight of infants in the study fell significantly below the fiftieth and tenth percentiles relative to Brenner's curve. We corclude that diminished fetal growth is associated with early delivery secondary to preterm labor or preterm premature rupture of membranes or both. Additionally, since biparietal diameters in preterm fetuses are smaller than those of normal fetuses the prediction of gestational age by cephalometry should be advanced by 7 to 10 days.

Amniotic fluid glucose was measured in 189 amniotic fluid samples from 117 well-controlled Class A to F diabetic pregnant women from 32 to 40 weeks' gestation. A simultaneous maternal plasma glucose level was determined at each amniocentesis. Samples were obtained with the mother in the fasting or nonfasting (3.8 hours after breakfast) state. Amniotic fluid glucose correlated significantly with simultaneous maternal glucose (r = 0.562; p = 0.001). A significant downward linear trend of mean amniotic fluid glucose with advancing gestational age was demonstrated (p less than 0.01). No trend of mean simultaneous maternal glucose with gestational age was seen. These results were not affected by maternal prandial status at the time of amniocentesis. It is concluded that amniotic fluid glucose decreases with advancing gestational age in well-controlled diabetic pregnant women independent of maternal glycemic levels. Studies of amniotic fluid glucose and/or its relationship to other metabolic hormones must take this into account.

One hundred ninety-nine gravida with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) defined as "carbohydrate intolerance of varying severity with onset or first recognition during pregnancy" have been stratified into subgroups on the basis of fasting plasma glucose and evaluated for further phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity. A significantly greater proportion of the women in all our groups were older and heavier than in a "control" population of 148 consecutive gravida with documented normal oral glucose tolerance. After correction for age and weight by covariate analysis, absolute insulinopenia in response to oral glucose could be demonstrated in all GDM groups, although exceptions were present in each. The incidence of diabetes in the mothers of our patients with GDM was 8-fold greater than in controls; the incidence in fathers did not deviate from control patterns. HLA-DR3 and DR4 antigens were more frequently present in GDM and the increase was statistically significant in blacks. At the time of diagnosis, cytoplasmic islet cell antibodies (ICA) were significantly more common in GDM associated with elevated fasting plasma glucose than in controls; the frequency of ICA was 18.4% (7/38) in women with fasting plasma glucose greater than or equal to 130 mg/dl. Our findings indicate that GDM entails genotypic as well as phenotypic diversity and may include patients with slowly-evolving Type I diabetes mellitus, as well as patients with Type II diabetes mellitus, and women with asymptomatic diabetes which antedated the pregnancy (i.e. pregestational diabetes mellitus). Appreciation of this heterogeneity should be incorporated into any evaluation of intervention strategies for women with GDM or into prognoses concerning their postpartum metabolic status.

We report the outcomes of 95 expectantly managed cases of placenta previa; all were diagnosed after 21 weeks' gestation. Patients at risk for preterm delivery because of hemorrhage or preterm labor received aggressive care, including multiple transfusions, volume expansion and tocolytic therapy, and amniotic fluid surfactant determinations, to achieve the goal of delivery at 37 weeks' gestation with mature fetal lung function. We present guidelines for outpatient management and double setup examination prior to delivery. The role of ultrasound in diagnosis (three asymptomatic cases; 13 cases with preterm labor) and serial placental localization to determine the timing, route, and place of delivery is presented. Eighty-six percent of 19 infants born weighing less than 2500 gm were managed expectantly. Hemorrhage was the determinant in delivery timing in 50 cases. All four deaths were neonatal with birth weights less than 2200 gm. This is the lowest perinatal mortality rate (4.2%) published to date. Use of this aggressive approach is particularly suitable for patients cared for in a teritary center.

One hundred pregnant diabetic patients have been prospectively studied in the first large-scale systematic evaluation of emotional behavior and psychosocial factors inflencing psychiatric behavior in the pregnant diabetic patient. A Psychiatric Risk Scale including ten weighted medical and psychosocial factors has been developed to identify patients at high risk for psychiatric illness or poor compliance. This scale significantly increases the data base of classic “neglector” characteristics described by Pederson in 1965. Early identification of psychiatrically high-risk patients in concert with brief relevant psychodynamic exploration offers the potential of more directed care to a subset of patients at increased risk for poor perinatal performance.

Two hundred fifty-one twin deliveries between January 1, 1978 and June 30, 1983 at Prentice Women's Hospital and Maternity Center were reviewed. Cases were excluded if birth weight was less than 500 g, if gestational age was less than 26 weeks or if an antenatal fetal demise had occurred. Maternal demographic characteristics, delivery data and infant characteristics are described. The effect of providing care to a high-risk population of mothers in whom approximately 60% either deliver thair infants preterm or with a birth weight of less than 2,500 g is discussed in terms of costs of care.

It recently has been shown that the sonar predictive accuracy of gestational age can be markedly enhanced by separating fetuses into one of three cephalic growth patterns, namely, large, average, and small. In this way it becomes possible to adjust fetal age in relation to biparietal diameter (BPD) growth. In this report we are defining the application of a growth adjusted sonographic age (GASA). Additionally, we are introducing a table which simplifies the assignment of GASA on a routine basis.

The development of 50 high-risk infants who were provided intrauterine monitoring during labor was prospectively evaluated. Twelve infants had normal fetal heart rate patterns, 16 moderate-severe variable patterns, and 22 severe variable or late deceleration patterns. The parity, socioeconomic status, race of the mothers, and sex of the infants were similar in each group. The infants were examined neurologically 48 to 72 hours after birth and at 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months of age. Denver Developmental Standard testing was performed at 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months of age. A statistically significant developmental bias was seen favoring those infants with normal fetal heart patterns. Fetal heart rate patterns predicted abnormal performance more accurately than did Apgar scores. Although this data is incomplete, the duration of ominous fetal heart rate patterns appears to adversely affect development.

The development of 50 children relative to the fetal heart rate patterns they demonstrated during labor and delivery was prospectively studied. Normal deceleration patterns were recorded for 12 of the children, while 16 were recorded as moderately severe and 22 as severe variable or late deceleration patterns. The parity and socioeconomic status of the mothers and the sexes of the infants were similar among the groups. A statistically significant developmental difference in favor of children with normal fetal heart rate patterns was seen in the first year of life. However, at 6 to 9 years of age the difference in neurologic and cognitive development was no longer evident. These data do not support the hypothesis that brief abnormal fetal heart rate patterns recorded during labor are indicative of irreversible central nervous system injury.

We have attempted to use perinatal islet performance as an index of the impact of maternal fuels during fetal development. Accordingly, we analyzed cord plasma for C-peptide and amniotic fluid (secured several weeks before delivery) for immunoreactive insulin in infants of mothers with normal metabolism (NM), gestational diabetes (GDM), and tightly regulated White Class B or Class C insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). We tried to subdivide mothers with GDM on the basis of severity by distinguishing between those with fasting plasma glucose within the normal range for pregnancy (i.e., less than 105 mg/dl and those with fasting plasma glucose of 105 mg/dl or greater). Most of the latter were treated with insulin whereas the former received diet alone. We found that cord plasma levels of C-peptide in infants of mothers with GDM < 105, GDM ≥ 105, and IDDM did not differ significantly from one another; all were approximately twofold greater than in infants from mothers with NM. Values for insulin and ratios of insulin/glucose in amniotic fluid were also increased and to a similar degree in all three diabetic groups; all exceeded the findings in the NM group. Our results indicate that islet function is enhanced at birth in the offspring of mothers with even the mildest forms of untreated gestational diabetes (i.e., GDM < 105) to a degree that is not appreciably different than in more severe forms of diabetes receiving tightly regulated insulin therapy. The augmented B-cell secretion cannot be ascribed to intrapartum events, since similar changes were also found in amniotic fluid secured several weeks before delivery. We conclude that neonatal insulin secretion may constitute an exquisitely sensitive index of the effects of ambient fuels during intrauterine life. Neonatal B-cell function thereby may provide a useful yardstick for the retrospective evaluation of maternal glucoregulation during late gestation.

Apgar scores and umbilical cord arterial pH measurements of 449 singleton breech deliveries are compared retrospectively to those of 1425 singleton vertex neonates. In the vaginal deliveries the Apgar scores and umbilical arterial pH were higher for the vertex neonates. There were no differences in either Apgar scores or umbilical arterial pH between the breech and vertex neonates delivered by cesarean section. Whereas Apgar scores in the less than 1000 g and greater than or equal to 2500 g weight groups were lower in the breech neonates delivered vaginally compared to cesarean section, umbilical arterial pH measurements were similar. The data suggest that liberal use of cesarean section may improve the Apgar scores but will probably not appreciably improve the acid-base status of the breech neonate.

In this report the predictive value of ultrasonic targeted imaging for fetal anomalies (TIFFA) is defined. Six hundred fifteen pregnant women at high risk for birth defects were scanned from January, 1980, to December, 1983. Follow-up evaluation was available on 569 fetuses. The pregnancies were classified into five groups according to the indications used for ultrasonic targeted imaging studies. The largest number of women were placed in group 1 and were referred because of a variety of abnormalities in previous or ongoing pregnancies. The women classified in the other four groups were examined because of maternal or fetal reasons related to specific craniospinal (29%), urinary (7.9%), gastrointestinal (6.7%), and skeletal (3.7%) defects. In our series the predictive values of abnormal and normal ultrasonic targeted imaging studies were 95% and 99%, respectively. A detailed breakdown of the accuracy of ultrasonic targeted imaging in relation to each anatomic category is presented; these data are useful in counseling gravid women with anomalous fetuses.

The postnatal rate of rise of the indirect bilirubin concentration was compared with cord hematocrit and bilirubin values in 44 newborn infants with Rh isoimmune hemolytic disease. Cord blood values failed to predict the severity of hyperbilirubinemia with sufficient accuracy to warrant their use as therapeutic guidelines. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the cord serum indirect bilirubin concentration and its subsequent rise in 19 infants who had received antenatal phenobarbital therapy, but this relationship was not observed in untreated infants. The phenobarbital-treated infants had a slower postnatal rise of indirect bilirubin than did nontreated controls. There was no reliable indicator of the severity of hyperbilirubinemia other than careful monitoring of the serum bilirubin concentration during the early hours of life.

The clinician considering administration of steroids to prevent respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) should attempt to identify patients who do not have criteria previously shown to increase the likelihood of benefit in the prevention of RDS. It is possible to accurately predict the interval to delivery in most cases. Four hundred thirty-nine patients at risk to deliver prior to 37 weeks have been screened for factors known to decrease the likelihood of benefit. Only 47 (10.7%) screened candidates have no exclusion criteria. Twenty-seven (6.9%) of 392 excluded neonates developed RDS; 20 of the 27 were predicted to and did deliver in less than 24 hours after initial screening. Only one case was inappropriately excluded. Fetal surfactant assessment is crucial; pulmonary maturity excludes 19% at 28 to 33 weeks and 35% at 34 to 37 weeks. Careful screening for exclusion factors known to decrease the likelihood of steroid derived benefit is essential when use of a drug with potential long-term consequences (risk) is considered.

The results of a multihospital study involving a total of 588 twin pairs born in Chicago in 1970–1975 are reported, with special respect to differences in mortality between first and second twins by time as well as by cause of death. Mortality was higher in second than in first twins and most commonly occurred after delivery and was the result of immaturity and of respiratory distress syndrome.

The transfer of methicillin and dicloxacillin from maternal blood to fetal blood and amniotic fluid was studied in 105 patients. Significant levels of methicillin were detected in fetal serum within 30 minutes after discontinuing the maternal infusion, with equilibration between maternal and fetal serum levels within one hour. Dicloxacillin is associated with lower levels of antibiotic activity in the fetal serum and insignificant levels in the amniotic fluid. Equilibration between maternal and fetal levels did not occur. Protein binding of antibiotics results in a reduced rate of transfer from the maternal to the fetal compartment.

Intrauterine pressure recordings were made during the active phase of labor in 64 patients. On-line electronic integration of the area under the pressure curve was used as a measure of uterine activity. A total of 204 hours of labor including 4,224 individual contractions were analyzed by (1) average pressure (integrator method), (2) Montevideo units, (3) Alexandria units, and (4) frequency distribution. Comparisons were made between spontaneous labor, oxytocin-stimulated labor, and hypertonic saline-induced labor. Oxytocin-stimulated labor and hypertonic saline-induced labor show increases in amplitude and frequency of contractions when compared with spontaneous labor. Concomitant increases in total uterine activity were noted by all methods of measurement. In this series, both hypertonic saline-induced and oxytocin-stimulated labor are different from spontaneous labor whether measured in Montevideo units, Alexandria units, or average pressure. Electronic integration of the pressure signal is recommended as a method of measuring uterine activity in physical units (mm. Hg).

Electroacupuncture (ACP) during childbirth was used in 12 parturients. On the average, it produced 66 percent analgesia in 7 patients for 139 minutes while patients were in active, progressive labor. When ACP no longer could relieve pain, spinal, epidural, or double-catheter technic produced complete analgesia in all patients. ACP did not adversely affect the fetus or uterine contractions and had no harmful aftereffect on mother or neonate. However, its use as a routine method had disadvantages because analgesia was inconsistent, unpredictable, and incomplete. The technic was time-consuming, limited the patient's movement, added more wires and machinery, and interfered with electronic monitoring of the mother and fetus.