A fetal heart rate monitor operates by measuring the infant’s heart rate during birth. Should the child not get enough oxygen in the mother’s placenta, the infant heart rate slows down to lower the need for oxygen. This is considered by childbirth experts as a very reliable sign that the fetus is not managing the birth process well. Discovering the lowered heart rate during contractions gives medical workers a chance to suspend delivery (with drugs) and try to move the mother – or bring to her – more sophisticated medical assistance.
The heart rate monitor project was led by John Hutchinson. He received additional expertise by a number of organisations including Professor John Wyatt of University College London.
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