Blood pressure and heart rate in the fetal lamb: relationship to
hypoglycemia, hypoxemia and growth restriction.
Daniel, Salha S., Raymond I. Stark, Michael M. Myers, Pamela J.
Tropper, Young-Ihl Kim.
Departments of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics, College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Columbia University and Department of Developmental
Psychobiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, New York,
New York
APStracts 3:0233R, 1996.
We examined blood pressure and heart rate in relation to glucose and
PaO2 at 121 days(`Early') and at 140 days(`Late') gestation in 12
growth restricted and 10 control fetal lambs. Mild growth restriction
(relative to maternal weight) was produced by withdrawal of 25ml/day
of maternal blood during the second half of pregnancy (p<0.05).
Fetuses from this model are hypoglycemic during `Early' and `Late'
but hypoxemic only during `Late' study. Mean systolic and diastolic
pressures in the experimental group were approximately 8.0 mmHg lower
than the corresponding values in controls at both studies
(p<0.05). FHR was 15.4 bpm lower (p<0.05) in ten but was
higher than control in two experimental fetuses that were also not
growth restricted. There were significant correlations between `Late'
systolic pressure and heart rate and PaO2 (r=0.54, p=0.046 and
r=0.50, p=0.049 respectively) and between FHR and BP and birth
weight/ maternal weight (P<0.05). We conclude that in this
model, fetal blood pressure and heart rate may serve as good
indicators of hypoxemia and growth restriction.
Received 26 July 1995; accepted in final form 15 May 1996.
APS Manuscript Number R466-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Regulatory Integrative
Comp. Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 4 July 96