Comparative Analysis of Pathological Cardiotocography as Predictor of Adverse Perinatal Outcome among High-Risk Pregnancy Group

Abstract

Objective: Determination of the frequency of pathological cardiotocography in laboring women with high-risk
pregnancies and to compare perinatal outcomes with and without pathological CTG among them.
Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Gynecology Department, Combined Military
Hospital (CMH) Lahore, Pakistan from March 2023 to September 2023.
Methods: A total 75 women with high-risk pregnancies were included in this cross-sectional comparative study.
Women were selected by consecutive nonprobability sampling techniques. Adverse perinatal outcomes were
assessed in terms of stillbirth, cesarean section, low Apgar score, neonatal mortality, and morbidity. Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used for data analysis. Quantitative variables like age, parity,
gestational age, and Apgar score were presented as mean± SD. Frequency and percentage were used for
qualitative variables like high-risk illness, pathological CTG finding, cesarean section, stillbirth, neonatal
mortality, and neonatal intensive care unit admission. Two groups were compared by using Chi-square test.
Data stratification was done for age and gestational age. P-value ≤0.05 was considered as significant.
Results: A mean age of 28.0±4.1 years was found in included women. Pathological CTG was found in 28 cases
(37.3%). The adverse perinatal outcome was found significantly higher in a group with pathological CTG
(P≤0.005).
Conclusion: The relationship and frequency of pathological CTG in high-risk pregnancies should be timely
determined to get good maternal and fetal outcomes. Women with pathological CTG, are at great risk of
caesarean section with rising trends of low Apgar score at birth, increased rate of NICU admission, and
mortality.