NIH PubMed Central Archives of Disease in Childhood - Umbilical venous blood ph: a useful aid in the diagnosis of asphyxia at birth. Umbilical venous blood, and umbilical arterial blood pH, PO2, PCO2, and base excess were determined in 453 term infants at birth. The results indicate that umbilical venous blood pH, and umbilical arterial blood pH are significantly related to each another.
obgyn.net - Article - Cord blood gases to determine umbilical artery acid-base analysis - Charts and values available on this site outlining Normal fetal cord blood pH and gas values and abnormal fetal cord pH and gas values.
Medical College of Georgia researchers are conducting a clinical trial to determine whether an infusion of stem cells from umbilical cord blood can improve the quality of life for children with cerebral palsy.
1992 Study to determine if there was a significant association between an intrapartum amniotic fluid index (AFI) < or = 5.0 cm and neonatal acidosis (umbilical arterial pH < 7.20 or metabolic acidosis [umbilical arterial pH < 7.20 and base deficit > 10 mEq/L]).
University of Weatern Ontario, Canada study to estimate to what extent computerized fetal heart rate (FHR) parameters are affected by labor and to estimate the relationship between FHR parameters and the degree of fetal metabolic acidosis in laboring patients at term.
Study concluded that in term pregnant women with reassuring FHR tracing, labor causes an increase in both short- and long-term FHR variation, which was abolished in the presence of nonreassuring FHR tracing. Computer-derived FHR parameters studied during the last hour of labor were not correlated with the degree of metabolic acidosis as measured in the umbilical artery at birth.
PubMed abstract: Neonatal depression and birth asphyxia in the low birthweight neonate. In 392 low birthweight neonates, acidosis as evident from umbilical artery pH 7.1 or less was strongly associated with Apgar score 6 or lower at 1 minute. However, most cases that were depressed (Apgar score 6 or lower at 1 minute) were not acidotic. Neonatal depression was most strongly and directly correlated with gestational age. Neonatal depression and birth asphyxia are distinct entiti
PubMed Abstract of study to determine the association of hypotonia and depression in neonates at or near term with metabolic acidemia at birth (umbilical arterial pH<-12 mM).