Abstract
ABSTRACT: The effects of acute maternal hemorrhage on uterine blood flow and fetal circulation were investigated in pregnant sheep. Nine chronically instrumented pregnant sheep (114–128 d gestation), phlebotomized from the iliac artery at the point of origin of the uterine artery, were studied at baseline, after acute hemorrhage, and immediately and two h after replacement of the blood. Maternal hemorrhage caused a reduction in uterine blood flow as well as both fetal hypoxemia and acidemia. Changes in fetal organ blood flow measured by radionuclide-labeled microspheres showed that blood flow to the brain, heart, and adrenal glands increased (p<0.05), whereas blood flow to the other major organs did not change significantly. Rapid replacement of blood restored all parameters to baseline values. We conclude that acute maternal hemorrhage causes a reduction in uterine blood flow, fetal hypoxemia, and acidemia with a secondary increase in blood flow to the high priority organs. Rapid replacement of blood reverses these effects.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Calvert, S., Widness, J., William, O. et al. The Effects of Acute Uterine Ischemia on Fetal Circulation1. Pediatr Res 27, 552–556 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199006000-00002
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199006000-00002
This article is cited by
-
Intermittent maternal hypoxia has an influence on regional expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in fetal arteries of rabbits
Pediatric Research (2013)
-
The stability of the fetal oxygen environment
Irish Journal of Medical Science (1991)