Monitoring of the fetal condition during the labor

摘要

A system for in vivo monitoring of the presence and concentration of meconium and/or blood in amniotic fluid includes a probe having a flexible body housing an optical cell (11). The probe has at least one aperture (17 or 18) so that amniotic fluid can enter the cell. A fibre optic cable (10) connects the cell to a light source and to a spectral analyser for measuring light backscattered by the amniotic fluid. The probe includes shielding means (13) to shield the fibre optic cable from any light scattered by the wall of the uterus or fetus. IMAGE