Electronic monitoring of the fetal heart rate and uterine contractions during cesarean section under balanced anesthesia.

The influence of balanced anesthesia (BA) on fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine contraction (UC) patterns was evaluated in pregnant women undergoing emergency cesarean section. The results showed that during operative delivery under BA there was a significant decrease in the beat-to-beat variability of the FHR, most probably due to the anesthetic agent. There was a decrease in uterine contractility expressed by the significant decreases in the peak pressure as well as in the duration of the uterine contractions. Periodic changes in the FHR as decelerations and acclerations disappeared or improved mostly due to the decrease of uterine contractility.