What should a nurse do for early decelerations?
As long as the FHR stays within normal range (110–160 bpm), early decelerations are nothing to worry about. They are typically caused by the compression of the head in the birth canal. When observing early decelerations, no interventions are needed, and the nurse should continue to monitor the patient.
What do you do for early decelerations?
As early decelerations are not associated with decreased fetal oxygenation or metabolic acidosis, they do not require any treatment. However, it is crucial to continue to monitor FHR tracings throughout labor to recognize any patterns that may be a concern regarding changes in the acid-base status of the fetus.
Which is a cause of early decelerations?
Early decelerations are caused by compression of the fetal head during uterine contractions. This results in vagal response (a response that occurs when the vagus nerve is stimulated). The vagal response causes a drop in the fetal heart rate.
Are early decelerations concerning?
Early decelerations
This often happens during later stages of labor as the baby is descending through the birth canal. They may also occur during early labor if the baby is premature or in a breech position. This causes the uterus to squeeze the head during contractions. Early decelerations are generally not harmful.
What is early deceleration of the fetal heart rate?
A deceleration is a decrease in the fetal heart rate below the fetal baseline heart rate. An early deceleration is defined as a waveform with a gradual decrease and return to baseline with time from onset of the deceleration to the lowest point of the deceleration >30 seconds.
What category is early decelerations?
Category I
Baseline FHR variability: moderate. Late or variable decelrations: absent. Early decelerations: present or absent.
How long do early decelerations last?
Decelerations represent a reduction in fetal heart rate of more than 15 beats per minute (bpm) in bandwidth amplitude. They also last for longer than 15 seconds.
What is the difference between early and late decelerations?
Early decelerations are benign and uniform in shape. They begin near the onset of a uterine contraction, and their lowest point occurs at the same time as the peak of the contraction. Late decelerations are also uniform in shape; however, their onset and return to baseline are gradual.
What are early decelerations in fetal heart rate?
Are early decelerations normal?