A national survey on current practice of ultrasound in labor ward
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Ilenia Mappa
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Bianca Masturzo
Abstract
Objectives
Use of ultrasonography has been suggested as an accurate adjunct to clinical evaluation of fetal position and station during labor. There are no available reports concerning its actual use in delivery wards. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the current practice regarding the use of ultrasonography during labor.
Methods
A questionnaire was sent to members of the Italian Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology employed in delivery wards. The qFeuestionnaire was made up of 22 questions evaluating participant characteristics and the current use of ultrasound in labor in their hospital of employment. The answers were grouped according to participant characteristics.
Results
A total of 200 participants replied. Ultrasound was considered useful before an operative vaginal delivery by 59.6 % of respondents, while 51.8 and 52.5 % considered it useful in the management of prolonged first and second stages of labor, respectively. The major indication for ultrasound use during labor was the assessment of fetal occiput position. The major difficulties in its application were the perceived lack of training and the complexity of the ultrasound equipment use. Participants that reported fewer difficulties were those employed in hospitals with a higher number of deliveries or having delivery units with more years of experience using ultrasound in labor, or those who had attended specific training courses.
Conclusions
The results indicate that, despite the reported evidence of a higher accuracy of ultrasound compared to clinical evaluation in assessing fetal position and station, its use is still limited, even amongst maternal-fetal medicine practitioners specialized in ultrasonography.
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Research ethics: As the study did not involve direct patient involvement, an approval from the Ethical Committee was not deemed necessary according to Italian regulation.
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Informed consent: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: All Authors provided a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; final approval of the version to be published; agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Data availability: Data available from authors on reasonable request.
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© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Review
- Outcome of fetal congenital pulmonary malformations: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Original Articles – Obstetrics
- Reducing decisional conflict in decisions about prenatal genetic testing: the impact of a dyadic intervention at the start of prenatal care
- The value of fibrinogen combined with D-dimer and neonatal weight in predicting postpartum hemorrhage in vaginal delivery
- Current obstetric outcomes in Jamaican women with sickle hemoglobinopathy – a balance of risks for aspirin?
- Does delayed cord clamping result in higher maternal blood loss in primary cesarean sections? A retrospective comparative study
- Trends in antenatal corticosteroid administration: did our timing improve?
- A national survey on current practice of ultrasound in labor ward
- Understanding current antenatal Hepatitis C testing and care in maternity services in England
- Exploring the clinical utility of exome sequencing/Mono, Duo, Trio in prenatal testing: a retrospective study in a tertiary care centre in South India
- Original Articles – Fetus
- Fetoscopic laser coagulation for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome: a comparison of flexible 1.0/1.2 mm fetoscopes with curved sheaths of 2.7/3.3 mm2 vs. 2 mm fetoscopic lens technique with sheaths of 6.6/11.3 mm2
- Value of fetal echocardiographic examination in pregnancies complicated by preterm premature rupture of membranes
- Bias in the prenatal lung measurements in fetal congenital diaphragmatic hernia with intrauterine growth restriction
- Original Articles – Neonates
- Chest radiographic thoracic areas and respiratory outcomes in infants with anterior abdominal wall defects
- Temporal effects of caffeine on intrapulmonary shunt in preterm ventilated infants
- Letter to the Editor
- HDlive Silhouette features of physiological midgut herniation
