Babies who suffer from oxygen deficiency at birth are at risk of brain damage that can lead to developmental delay, cerebral palsy and even death. To prevent this, most working women constantly monitor the baby’s heart rate and receive extra oxygen if the heart rate is abnormal, assuming that the This common practice increases the delivery of oxygen to the baby. However, there is different evidence as to whether the long-recommended use improves the health of babies.
Now, a comprehensive analysis has not been found – conducted by the University of Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis. Louis – looks at 16 previous trials of any beneficial practice in providing extra oxygen to mothers during labor and delivery. Babies born to women who received extra oxygen were no better or worse than those born to women who had similar work experiences but were breathing in a room.
The results are published January 4 in JAMA Pediatrics.
Each year, 1.5 million women in the U.S. – two out of three pregnant women – receive extra oxygen at some point during childbirth, according to the researchers.
The practice has for decades been recommended by the American College of Dentists and Gynecologists to treat abnormal fetal heart rates, which may indicate that the baby’s oxygen levels are low and pose a health risk.
It is such a common practice because the thought is that by giving oxygen to mom, we are increasing the transfer of oxygen to the baby. However, the results of this study suggest that oxygen is not helpful in these cases and that its use could be safely stopped for many women. “
Nandini Raghuraman, MD, First Author of the Study, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Raghuraman said supplemental oxygen is administered mainly as a preventative measure, a practice that began in the 1960s. “Fetal examination can reveal a potentially extreme case such as oxygen deprivation,” she said. “But about 80% of the time, women who give birth fall into an interstitial region. medium, in which cases are not entirely impossible but also not high risk. And in cases like this, adding oxygen does not offer any additional benefits. “
For the analysis, the researchers examined 16 studies published from 1982 through 2020 of randomized controlled trials in humans – including one from the School of Medicine researchers – containing more than 2,052 woman in childbirth. “Overall, the studies yielded mixed results, with some showing benefit and others showing no benefit,” Raghuraman said. “That was the reason for doing a meta-analysis. Combining patient numbers across the studies would give us a more definitive response than looking at individual studies.”
The researchers assessed the baby’s blood pH levels from samples taken shortly after birth. The pH measures the acidity and alkalis of the body in blood and other liquids, with a pH value equal to a neutral of 7. For babies, Raghuraman said anything less than 7.1 is considered anorexia and ‘indication of oxygen deprivation.
The researchers also compared neonatal intensive care admission rates with Apgar scores – a standardized test to assess neonatal health at one to five minutes after birth. Apgar scores examine a child’s heart rate, breathing and other signs to determine if the child needs additional medical care.
“Comparing the health of the babies whose mothers received oxygen and those who did not receive their mothers, we found that the differences were to a degree of zero,” Raghuraman said.
Removing oxygen would help reduce unnecessary intervention and possibly reduce health care costs. “It has been shown that moms, despite having health insurance, often end up with out-of-pocket expenses associated with childbirth,” Raghuraman said. “While oxygen is typically a cheap intervention compared to other labor and delivery services, it is important that any unnecessary procedures are minimized.”
At Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where Raghuraman delivers babies, the decisions have begun to impact clinical care. “We are more critical about giving women extra oxygen during labor.”
Previous studies have shown that oxygen supplementation may be beneficial for women who deliver by cesarean section; however, Raghuraman said more research is needed. “We also want to see if exposing mama and baby to prolonged oxygen during labor can be harmful,” she said. oxidation associated with oxidative stress that can cause the type of cell damage that has been implicated in conditions such as cerebral palsy and Alzheimer’s disease. Our findings run counter to a common myth that oxygen bars and other means of increasing healthy oxygen intake are conducive to a person’s overall well-being. “
Source:
Washington University School of Medicine