LATE DECELERATIONS

Course overview

LATE DECELERATIONS ARE ONE OF THE PRECARIOUS DECELERATIONS AMONG THE THREE TYPES OF FETAL HEART RATE DECELERATIONS DURING LABOR. THEY ARE CAUSED BY DECREASED BLOOD FLOW TO THE PLACENTA AND CAN SIGNIFY AN IMPENDING FETAL ACIDEMIA. LATE DECELERATIONS ARE DEFINED AS A VISUALLY APPARENT, GRADUAL DECREASE IN THE FETAL HEART RATE TYPICALLY FOLLOWING THE UTERINE CONTRACTION. A LATE DECELERATION TYPICALLY FOLLOWS A UTERINE CONTRACTION MEANING, THE ONSET, NADIR AND THE RETURN OF THE DECELERATION WILL FOLLOW THE ONSET, PEAK, AND THE RETURN OF A UTERINE CONTRACTION. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF LATE DECELERATIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN ITS MANAGEMENT.