AUTHOR=Pérez María Luisa Mayol , Hernández Garre José Manuel , Pérez Paloma Echevarría 

TITLE=Analysis of Factors Associated With Variability and Acidosis of the Umbilical Artery pH at Birth

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2021.650555

DOI=10.3389/fped.2021.650555

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=Background: Perinatal asphyxia is a significant contributing factor for neonatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical factors associated with umbilical artery pH variability and fetal acidosis at birth. Methods: Cross-sectional study. In a hospital in south-eastern Spain from January to December 2019. The reference population was the 1,655 infants born during the year 2019, final sample 312 experimental units with validated values of umbilical cord blood pH. Results: Factors such as gestational age at term (at-term:7.2553±0.07797-no-at-term:7.3056±0.04718, p:0.001), primiparity (primiparity:7.2444±0.07744-multiparity:7.2677±0.07615, p:0.008), induced labor (induced:7.2390±0.07192-spontaneous:7.2622±0.08169, p:0.019), vaginal delivery (vaginal:7.2515±0.07909-cesarean:7.2748±0.07062, p:0.013) and prolonged: dilation duration (AboveAverage:7.2258±0.07365-BelowAverage:7.2692±0.07798, p: 0.000009), expulsion duration(AboveAverage:7.2346±0.07409-BelowAverage:7.2612±0.07931,p:0.011) and total  labor duration (AboveAverage:7.2322±0.07311-BelowAverage:7.2698±0.07887,p:0.00006) are associated with a decrease in umbilical artery pH at birth. However, only two factors are associated with acidosis pH (< 7.20) of the umbilical artery at birth: the induction of labor (OR: 1.828 [95% CI: 1.003-3.333], p: 0.049) and vaginal delivery (OR: 2.413 [95% CI: 1.058-5.506], p: 0.036) Conclusions: Although several factors may affect the variability of umbilical artery pH at birth by decreasing their mean values, only labor induction and vaginal delivery are associated with an acidosis (<7.20) of same.