Non-stress test reactivity and its association with neonatal Apgar scores: a retrospective analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59594/iicqp.2025.v3n1.129Keywords:
Fetal Hypoxia, Fetal Monitoring, Perinatology, Apgar Score, Infant HealthAbstract
Objective: To evaluate the association between the non-stress test (NST) and the Apgar score of newborns (NB) in a public hospital in Peru.
Methods: A total of 634 NST records from pregnant women with corresponding neonatal Apgar scores from the same hospital in 2023 were included. Only singleton pregnancies of at least 34 weeks of gestation were considered. The NST was classified as "reactive" (Fisher test score ≥ 8) and "non-reactive or pathological" (Fisher test score < 8). Apgar scores were assessed at the first and fifth minutes and categorized as neonatal depression (ND) (Apgar < 7) or normal (Apgar ≥ 7). Associations were analyzed using the Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test (p < 0.05).
Results: A total of 6.31% (n = 40) of NSTs were classified as non-reactive or pathological. Neonatal depression was observed in 2.84% (n = 18) at the first minute and in 0.16% (n = 1) at the fifth minute. No significant association was found between overall NST reactivity and neonatal depression at the first minute (p = 0.067) or the fifth minute (p = 0.063). However, the absence of fetal movements was associated with neonatal depression at the first minute (p = 0.028), while the presence of accelerations and decelerations were associated with Apgar scores at the fifth minute (p = 0.006 and p = 0.031, respectively).
Conclusions: No statistically significant association was found between the NST and Apgar score. However, the absence of fetal movements, accelerations, and decelerations in the NST was associated with a higher prevalence of neonatal depression.
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