Maternal glucose loading in the management of fetal distress.

Abstract A group of normal parturients serving as controls and women who exhibited fetal distress in labor have been studied. Normal uterine contractions of labor are associated with findings of a lowered blood pH and elevated pCO 2 . The effects of maternally administering 25 Gm. of glucose intravenously at the time of detecting a fetal bradycardia followed by a continuous 20 per cent glucose infusion has been evaluated. By this procedure plasma glucose levels were significantly elevated resulting in the induction of both maternal and fetal hyperglycemia. The fetal bradycardia was promptly corrected in the cases studied with the single exception of one case which resulted in a stillborn. Maternal inhalation of 100 per cent oxygen is effective in increasing placental oxygen transfer for a total duration of 30 minutes. After that, a decrease in total oxygen transfer has been noted.