Measuring up to the challenges of fetal blood sampling.

A high proportion of litigation claims against the NHS arise from decisions taken in obstetrics. Fetal blood sampling (FBS) is undertaken to establish fetal pH levels in cases where delivery by caesarean is contemplated because of an abnormal fetal heart-rate pattern and other indications of distress. Rapid falls in pH can be indicative of distress accompanied by a high risk of hypoxia. Accuracy in both sampling and analytical procedures is crucial, since the diagnostic outcome of FBS can provide the basis for decisions taken during the course of labour and may subsequently provide the necessary legal evidence that those decisions were correct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]