The fetal scalp electrode shortage is an urgent patient safety issue

Abstract

There is currently a shortage of fetal scalp electrodes because of a recent recall due to concerns about the breakage of the electrode tip with possible injury to the neonate. Although the recall is presumably intended to improve safety, the resulting shortage of fetal scalp electrodes poses risks to patients because of inadequate fetal heart rate monitoring in cases where an adequate signal cannot be obtained with external fetal monitoring and/or when maternal heart rate artifact cannot be resolved by repositioning of transducers and application of a maternal pulse oximeter.

Keywords: brain hypoxia-ischemia; cardiotocography; fetal heart rate; fetal monitoring; obstetrics; product recalls and withdrawals.