Key result
Ritodrine infusion is linked to increased fetal HR and aortic flow without impairing myocardial function.
Why the study?
Does ritodrine intravenous infusion alter fetal myocardial function and hemodynamics in pregnant women with premature uterine contractions?
Observational (n=18)
Does ritodrine intravenous infusion alter fetal myocardial function and hemodynamics in pregnant women with premature uterine contractions?
Intravenous ritodrine for premature contractions alters fetal hemodynamics by increasing heart rate and decreasing cerebral and renal vascular resistance, but does not impair fetal myocardial function.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May reassure on fetal myocardial function with ritodrine; hypothesis-generating for vascular effects and requires randomized confirmation.
The effects of ritodrine infusion on fetal myocardial function and fetal hemodynamics were studied in 18 singleton, healthy, pregnant women with premature uterine contractions. Ritodrine was given intravenously for 2 1/2 h. In 10 cases both M-mode echocardiographs of the fetal heart and measurements of the blood flow in the fetal descending thoracic aorta were made before and after the infusion. No changes took place in the functional parameters or ventricular size of the fetal heart during the infusion. Fetal heart rate increased significantly. In the aorta both the volumetric flow and time-averaged systolic peak, mean and end-diastolic velocities increased significantly, while there were no changes in wave-form indices. In 8 other cases, blood velocity waveform indices were measured by color Doppler flow mapping from the fetal middle cerebral, renal and umbilical arteries. During the infusion the waveform indices decreased significantly in the middle cerebral and renal arteries. There was no change in the indices of the umbilical artery. Ritodrine did not cause any unfavorable changes in the fetal myocardial function or blood flow in the aorta and umbilical artery. The decreased waveform indices in fetal middle cerebral and renal arteries might indicate decreased vascular resistance in these vessels.
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Juha Räsänen (1990) conducted an observational in Premature uterine contractions (n=18). Ritodrine infusion vs. Baseline (before infusion) was evaluated on Fetal myocardial function and fetal hemodynamics. Ritodrine infusion significantly increased fetal heart rate and aortic blood flow velocities without causing unfavorable changes in fetal myocardial function or umbilical artery blood flow.
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