Cardiac Asystole at Birth Re-Visited: Effects of Acute Hypovolemic Shock.

ABSTRACT: Births involving shoulder dystocia or tight nuchal cords can deteriorate rapidly. The fetus may have had a reassuring tracing just before birth yet may be born without any heartbeat (asystole). Since the publication of our first article on cardiac asystole with two cases, five similar cases have been published. We suggest that these infants shift blood to the placenta due to the tight squeeze of the birth canal during the second stage which compresses the cord. The squeeze transfers blood to the placenta via the firm-walled arteries but prevents blood returning to the infant via the soft-walled umbilical vein. These infants may then be born severely hypovolemic resulting in asystole secondary to the loss of blood. Immediate cord clamping (ICC) prevents the newborn's access to this blood af

SUBMITTER: Mercer J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9955546 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature