Fetal circulation
Fetal circulation: The blood circulation in the fetus (an unborn baby). Before birth, blood from the fetal heart that is destined for the lungs is shunted away from the lungs through a short vessel called the ductus arteriosus and returned to the aorta. When this shunt is open, it is said to be a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). The PDA usually closes at or shortly after birth, allowing blood to course freely to the lungs.
Read Also:
- Fetal distress
Fetal distress: Compromise of a fetus during the antepartum period (before labor) or intrapartum period (during the birth process). The term fetal distress is commonly used to describe fetal hypoxia (low oxygen levels in the fetus), which can result in fetal damage or death if it is not reversed or if the fetus is not […]
- Fetal dystocia
Fetal dystocia: Dystocia caused by the fetus, due to its size (too big), shape, or position in the uterus.
- Fetal fibronectin
Fetal fibronectin: A protein produced during pregnancy and the basis of a test for preterm delivery. Fetal fibronectin (fFN) functions as a “glue” attaching the fetal sac to the uterine lining. The presence of fFN during weeks 22-34 of a high-risk pregnancy, along with symptoms of labor, suggests that the “glue” is disintegrating ahead of […]
- Fetal infant
Fetal infant: An extremely low birth weight infant. A very, small infant. One, for example, with a birth weight of 400 to 500 grams.
- Fetal mortality rate
Fetal mortality rate: The ratio of fetal deaths divided by the sum of the births (the live births + the fetal deaths) in that year. In the United States, the fetal mortality rate plummeted from 19.2 per 1,000 births in 1950 to 9.2 per 1,000 births in 1980. However, the fetal mortality rate is higher […]