Theme: Improving Care: Clinical Practices and Emerging Innovations: Abstract 7: Association between CTG with Umbilical Cord Blood pH and It’s Neonatal Outcome in Term Pregnancy

Abstract Background: Cardiotocography(CTG) is a widely used intrapartum tool for assessing fetal well being by monitoring fetal heart rate patterns in relation to uterine contractions. However, CTG interpretation is subject to high inter-observer variability and false-positive rates leading to potentially unnecessary interventions. umbilical cord arterial blood gas analysis, particularly pH measurement, offers a more objective evaluation of fetal acid-base status at birth and may improve perinatal outcome prediction. Aim: To assess the association between CTG patterns and umbilical cord arterial blood pH and to evaluate their combined predictive value for neonatal outcomes in term pregnancies. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted over 18 months at Dr RMLIMS. A total of 160 term pregnant women in labor were enrolled. CTG was classified using FIGO guidelines into Normal, suspicious, pathological categories following delivery, umbilical cord arterial blood was analyzed for pH. Results: A significant association was observed between pathological CTG findings and low umbilical cord arterial pH(<7.2),indicating metabolic acidosis. Neonates born with abnormal CTG patterns and low pH had higher rates of NICU admissions and low APGAR scores. Conclusion: While CTG remains a valuable intrapartum monitoring tools. Its predictive accuracy improves when combined with objective parameters like umbilical cord blood pH.