"The effect of maternal oxygen administration during the second stage of labor on umbilical cord blood gas values: a randomized controlled prospective trial
Article Abstract:
Administering oxygen for longer than 10 minutes during pushing appears to have an adverse effect on the fetus. Eighty-six women in normal labor with a healthy, term fetus were randomly assigned to receive oxygen via mask during the pushing phase of labor. A blood sample was taken from the umbilical vein after birth and analyzed. As the length of oxygen therapy increased beyond 10 minutes, the pH of the baby's blood declined. Low pH is a symptom of decreased oxygen, although no baby experienced fetal distress. Results may not be applicable to different situations, as, for example, when the baby already lacks oxygen. Several studies have shown that although oxygen is often administered liberally in labor to the mother to improve fetal oxygenation, its use can have this adverse effect. Laboratory studies have shown that umbilical and placental blood vessels constrict in the presence of abnormally high amounts of oxygen, which may be the cause of this phenomenon."
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