(4) Risks of the procedure. Overall complications are less than 1percent
for the mother and the fetus. Possible risks are:
(a)
Maternal.
1 Hemorrhage.
2 Infection.
3 Labor.
4 Inadvertent damage to the intestines or bladder.
(b) Fetal.
1 Death.
2 Hemorrhage.
3 Direct injury from the needle.
4 Abortion.
5 Premature labor.
b. Non-Stress Test. It evaluates the ability of the placenta to supply fetal needs
in a normal (or unstressed) daily uterine environment.
(1) The non-stress test (NST) involves application of the fetal monitor to
record the fetal heart rate. The mother is instructed to push a marker button when she
feels the fetus move. The marker button indicates movement as it occurred in
relationship to the fetal heart rate. With sufficient placental functioning, the fetus should
demonstrate an acceleration in heart rate with movement, in the same way that the
adult experiences increased heart rate with exercises. A lack of fetal heart rate
(2) Non-stress test is used to screen the high-risk pregnancy where the
placental compromise is anticipated to include post-term pregnancy, pregnancy induced
hypertension, gestational diabetes, intrauterine growth retardation, and maternal
complaints of decreased fetal movement.
(3) Patients identified as NST candidates will generally be required to
complete an NST on a regular basis (that is, weekly, bi-weekly).
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MD0921