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Impaired validity of the new FIGO and Swedish CTG classification templates to identify fetal acidosis in the first stage of labor

Ekengård, Frida LU ; Cardell, Monika LU and Herbst, Andreas LU (2022) In Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine 35(25). p.4853-4860
Abstract

Introduction: Cardiotocography (CTG) is the main method of intrapartum fetal surveillance. In 2015 a new guideline was introduced by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), FIGO-15. In Sweden it was adjusted to SWE-17, replacing the previous national template, SWE-09. This study, conducted at one university hospital and one regional hospital in southern Sweden, evaluated the diagnostic validity of these three templates to detect fetal acidosis during the first stage of labor. Material and methods: A total of 73 neonates with pH <7.1 in umbilical cord artery or vein at cesarean delivery during the first stage of labor were identified retrospectively. For each acidotic neonate, three non-acidemic neonates,... (More)

Introduction: Cardiotocography (CTG) is the main method of intrapartum fetal surveillance. In 2015 a new guideline was introduced by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), FIGO-15. In Sweden it was adjusted to SWE-17, replacing the previous national template, SWE-09. This study, conducted at one university hospital and one regional hospital in southern Sweden, evaluated the diagnostic validity of these three templates to detect fetal acidosis during the first stage of labor. Material and methods: A total of 73 neonates with pH <7.1 in umbilical cord artery or vein at cesarean delivery during the first stage of labor were identified retrospectively. For each acidotic neonate, three non-acidemic neonates, with a pH ≥7.2 in cord artery and vein, and Apgar scores ≥9 at five and ten minutes, in all 219 neonates, were selected. The CTG tracings before birth in acidemic neonates, and tracings at the same cervical dilatation in the non-acidemic neonates, were independently assessed by three professionals from the obstetric staff, blinded to group and clinical data. Based on their categorizations of the included variables (baseline, variability, accelerations, decelerations and contraction rate), each CTG tracing was systematically classified according to the three templates. The sensitivity and specificity to identify acidemia by the classification pathological were determined for each template. Interobserver agreement in the assessments of tracings as pathological or not was analyzed, using free-marginal Kappa index. Results: The sensitivity for patterns classified as pathological to identify acidemia was similar for FIGO-15 (71%) and SWE-17 (77%, p =.13), and the specificity was 97% for both. SWE-09 had a significantly higher sensitivity (95%, p <.001) albeit with a lower specificity (90%, p <.001) than the other two templates. Among acidemic neonates, the fraction of tracings classified as normal was higher with SWE-17 (9.6%) than with SWE-09 (0%; p =.01) and FIGO-15 (1.4%; p =.06). For tracings from neonates with acidemia, agreement for three independent assessors was strong (κ 0.85) with SWE-09, and weak for FIGO-15 (κ 0.47), and SWE-17 (κ 0.51). For tracings from neonates without acidemia, the agreement was almost perfect for FIGO-15 (κ 0.91), strong withSWE-17 (κ 0.90) and moderate with SWE-09 (κ 0.78). Conclusions: The ability of FIGO-15 and SWE-17 to identify fetal acidosis is considered insufficient. The combination of a high sensitivity and a high specificity makes SWE-09 the most discriminatory template during the first stage of labor.

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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
acidosis, cardiotocography, classification, Electronic fetal monitoring, fetal heart rate
in
Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine
volume
35
issue
25
pages
8 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:85142403431
  • pmid:33406946
  • scopus:85099207650
ISSN
1476-7058
DOI
10.1080/14767058.2020.1869931
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
686ab0e4-1396-4ffe-bd74-114aae80628d
date added to LUP
2021-01-25 11:31:11
date last changed
2024-06-27 07:39:24
@article{686ab0e4-1396-4ffe-bd74-114aae80628d,
  abstract     = {{<p>Introduction: Cardiotocography (CTG) is the main method of intrapartum fetal surveillance. In 2015 a new guideline was introduced by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), FIGO-15. In Sweden it was adjusted to SWE-17, replacing the previous national template, SWE-09. This study, conducted at one university hospital and one regional hospital in southern Sweden, evaluated the diagnostic validity of these three templates to detect fetal acidosis during the first stage of labor. Material and methods: A total of 73 neonates with pH &lt;7.1 in umbilical cord artery or vein at cesarean delivery during the first stage of labor were identified retrospectively. For each acidotic neonate, three non-acidemic neonates, with a pH ≥7.2 in cord artery and vein, and Apgar scores ≥9 at five and ten minutes, in all 219 neonates, were selected. The CTG tracings before birth in acidemic neonates, and tracings at the same cervical dilatation in the non-acidemic neonates, were independently assessed by three professionals from the obstetric staff, blinded to group and clinical data. Based on their categorizations of the included variables (baseline, variability, accelerations, decelerations and contraction rate), each CTG tracing was systematically classified according to the three templates. The sensitivity and specificity to identify acidemia by the classification pathological were determined for each template. Interobserver agreement in the assessments of tracings as pathological or not was analyzed, using free-marginal Kappa index. Results: The sensitivity for patterns classified as pathological to identify acidemia was similar for FIGO-15 (71%) and SWE-17 (77%, p =.13), and the specificity was 97% for both. SWE-09 had a significantly higher sensitivity (95%, p &lt;.001) albeit with a lower specificity (90%, p &lt;.001) than the other two templates. Among acidemic neonates, the fraction of tracings classified as normal was higher with SWE-17 (9.6%) than with SWE-09 (0%; p =.01) and FIGO-15 (1.4%; p =.06). For tracings from neonates with acidemia, agreement for three independent assessors was strong (κ 0.85) with SWE-09, and weak for FIGO-15 (κ 0.47), and SWE-17 (κ 0.51). For tracings from neonates without acidemia, the agreement was almost perfect for FIGO-15 (κ 0.91), strong withSWE-17 (κ 0.90) and moderate with SWE-09 (κ 0.78). Conclusions: The ability of FIGO-15 and SWE-17 to identify fetal acidosis is considered insufficient. The combination of a high sensitivity and a high specificity makes SWE-09 the most discriminatory template during the first stage of labor.</p>}},
  author       = {{Ekengård, Frida and Cardell, Monika and Herbst, Andreas}},
  issn         = {{1476-7058}},
  keywords     = {{acidosis; cardiotocography; classification; Electronic fetal monitoring; fetal heart rate}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{25}},
  pages        = {{4853--4860}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine}},
  title        = {{Impaired validity of the new FIGO and Swedish CTG classification templates to identify fetal acidosis in the first stage of labor}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14767058.2020.1869931}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/14767058.2020.1869931}},
  volume       = {{35}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}