What it means
A fetal heart rate pattern seen on the monitor during labor. A drop that lasts 10 minutes or longer is counted as a change in baseline instead. Causes include a sudden drop in the mother's blood pressure, a very strong or long contraction, cord compression or a rapid descent of the fetus.
For the nurse
Report it at once. Common first steps are changing the client's position, stopping an oxytocin infusion, giving IV fluid and checking the mother's blood pressure, as the agency's protocol directs.
At a glance
| Also written | prolonged decelerations |
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Related terms
heart rate
How many times the heart beats per minute.
uterine contraction
A tightening and then relaxing of the muscle of the uterus (womb), as happens during labor.
variable deceleration
An abrupt drop in the fetal heart rate of at least 15 beats per minute that lasts at least 15 seconds and less than 2 minutes.