Auscultation - ANSWER The act of listening to sounds arising from organs (such as the
lungs or heart) as an aid to diagnosis and treatment.
Dilation (Dilatation) - ANSWER Opening of the cervix from 0 - 10 cm.
Effacement - ANSWER The process of the cervix softening, stretching out and
becoming thinner in preparation for delivery.
Fetal Bradycardia - ANSWER A baseline fetal heart rate of less than 110 BPM.
Fetal Tachycardia - ANSWER A baseline fetal heart rate greater than 160 BPM.
Hyperstimulation - ANSWER A series of single contractions lasting longer than 90
seconds, or a contraction frequency of five or more in 10 minutes.
Nadir - ANSWER The lowest point in a contraction.
Prostaglandins - ANSWER Substances found naturally in the body that appear to be
essential for the labor process.
Term - ANSWER Intrauterine pregnancy from the beginning of the 38th week of
gestation to 42 completed weeks of gestation.
1
, Variability - ANSWER Normal irregularity of heart rhythm present in all humans.
Wharton's Jelly - ANSWER Protective gelatinous substance that forms a cushion
between the placenta and the fetus within the womb.
FHR background - ANSWER As time passed, advances in external fetal monitoring
devices were developed, such as the fetascope and the Doppler device. Advanced internal
monitoring devices were also developed for high-risk pregnancies. The current monitoring
technology used every day in this country by labor and delivery nurses is electronic fetal
monitoring or EFM.
Nurses who use electronic fetal monitoring need to understand and recognize fetal heart
rate patterns, beat-to-beat variability and uterine activity and should use accepted terms to
describe these patterns.
It is especially important to document reassuring and nonreassuring changes in heart rate
patterns as well as the fetal response to actions taken to treat the nonreassuring changes. It
is also important that the nurse documents uterine activity.
The monitor tracing, or its electronic counterpart, is a legal document and part of the
patient's permanent medical record. It must be clearly labeled with the patient's name and
medical record number and include notations of times and events related to the patient's
care.
The nurse identifies nonreassuring tracings and is responsible for initiating appropriate
nursing actions and for notifying a physician.
The two modes of electronic fetal monitoring include the external mode, which uses
transducers placed on the maternal abdomen to assess uterine activity and the fetal heart
rate, and the internal mode, which uses a fetal scalp lead wire introduced through the
vaginal canal.
2
lungs or heart) as an aid to diagnosis and treatment.
Dilation (Dilatation) - ANSWER Opening of the cervix from 0 - 10 cm.
Effacement - ANSWER The process of the cervix softening, stretching out and
becoming thinner in preparation for delivery.
Fetal Bradycardia - ANSWER A baseline fetal heart rate of less than 110 BPM.
Fetal Tachycardia - ANSWER A baseline fetal heart rate greater than 160 BPM.
Hyperstimulation - ANSWER A series of single contractions lasting longer than 90
seconds, or a contraction frequency of five or more in 10 minutes.
Nadir - ANSWER The lowest point in a contraction.
Prostaglandins - ANSWER Substances found naturally in the body that appear to be
essential for the labor process.
Term - ANSWER Intrauterine pregnancy from the beginning of the 38th week of
gestation to 42 completed weeks of gestation.
1
, Variability - ANSWER Normal irregularity of heart rhythm present in all humans.
Wharton's Jelly - ANSWER Protective gelatinous substance that forms a cushion
between the placenta and the fetus within the womb.
FHR background - ANSWER As time passed, advances in external fetal monitoring
devices were developed, such as the fetascope and the Doppler device. Advanced internal
monitoring devices were also developed for high-risk pregnancies. The current monitoring
technology used every day in this country by labor and delivery nurses is electronic fetal
monitoring or EFM.
Nurses who use electronic fetal monitoring need to understand and recognize fetal heart
rate patterns, beat-to-beat variability and uterine activity and should use accepted terms to
describe these patterns.
It is especially important to document reassuring and nonreassuring changes in heart rate
patterns as well as the fetal response to actions taken to treat the nonreassuring changes. It
is also important that the nurse documents uterine activity.
The monitor tracing, or its electronic counterpart, is a legal document and part of the
patient's permanent medical record. It must be clearly labeled with the patient's name and
medical record number and include notations of times and events related to the patient's
care.
The nurse identifies nonreassuring tracings and is responsible for initiating appropriate
nursing actions and for notifying a physician.
The two modes of electronic fetal monitoring include the external mode, which uses
transducers placed on the maternal abdomen to assess uterine activity and the fetal heart
rate, and the internal mode, which uses a fetal scalp lead wire introduced through the
vaginal canal.
2
