Why the study?
Does watchful waiting lead to resolution of benign fetal bradycardias in fetuses without structural heart disease or hydrops?
Does watchful waiting lead to resolution of benign fetal bradycardias in fetuses without structural heart disease or hydrops?
Benign fetal bradycardias without structural heart disease or hydrops can be safely managed with watchful waiting, as they typically resolve before delivery.
May support watchful waiting in select benign fetal bradycardias; leaves open need for prospective studies before practice change.
Five cases of benign fetal arrhythmias presented with dramatic pictures of sustained irregular bradycardias. These cases were not associated with structural heart disease, the development of hydrops fetalis, or maternal autoantibodies. In all but one case, the arrhythmias resolved before delivery. Two fetuses had 2:1 atrioventricular block and the other three showed group beating due to blocked atrial trigeminy. With regular intermittent reevaluation, and if no signs of hydrops occur, watchful waiting is the suggested therapeutic modality.
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Friedman et al. (1995) studied this question.
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