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Irregular fetal heart rhythm This leaflet explains more about irregular fetal heart rhythms. If you have any further questions, please speak to a doctor or nurse caring for you. What is an irregular fetal heart rhythm and what does this mean? You have been referred to the department of fetal cardiology at the Evelina Children’s Hospital because your unborn baby has an irregular heartbeat. An irregular heartbeat before birth is common. We have scanned your baby’s heart and found that there is no abnormality of the structure or function of the heart. In the heart there are four chambers, the upper two chambers (atriums), which collect blood and the lower two chambers (ventricles), which pump blood. It is the atriums which are responsible for setting the pace of your baby’s heart. In some babies, the upper chambers generate extra beats, which lead to an irregularity of the fetal heart rhythm. This does not mean that your baby is distressed and there is no urgent need for you to give birth. In most cases this rhythm will settle down and return to normal. What happens now and will I need treatment? In a few cases, extra beats of the upper chambers may cause a very fast heart rhythm (tachycardia). This is unusual but if it occurs it may require treatment. For this reason we are advising: 1. That your baby’s heart rate is checked every one to two weeks. This involves listening to the heart and does not mean regular ultrasound scans. 2. If during labour your baby’s heart rhythm is very irregular then this may cause problems for the monitoring of the baby’s wellbeing. This does not usually pose a major problem and the vast majority of babies we have seen with an irregular fetal heart rhythm have gone on to have perfectly normal deliveries. 3. If your baby’s heartbeat continues to be irregular up to delivery, we advise that your baby remains in hospital for 48 hours after they are born. This is so that staff can check the baby’s heart rhythm and also perform an electrocardiogram (ECG), which is an electrical test of the heart, to provide further information on the heart rhythm. If the heart rhythm has become regular before labour, observation in hospital after the birth is not necessary. 4. If all is well on postnatal checks after your baby is born, and there is no evidence of a fast heart rhythm, we do not advise any routine follow-ups. If there are any concerns after birth then your local hospital will be able to refer you to the relevant service. 1 of 2 Contact us If you have any further questions, please ask those who have performed the scan. You can contact us on 020 7188 2308, Monday to Friday between 9am and 5.30pm. Out of hours, please contact your local hospital. Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) – To make comments or raise concerns about the Trust’s services, please contact PALS. Ask a member of staff to direct you to the PALS office or: t: 020 7188 8801 at St Thomas’ t: 020 7188 8803 at Guy’s e: [email protected] Knowledge & Information Centre (KIC) – For more information about health conditions, support groups and local services, or to search the internet and send emails, please visit the KIC on the Ground Floor, North Wing, St Thomas’ Hospital. t: 020 7188 3416 Language support services – If you need an interpreter or information about your care in a different language or format, please get in touch using the following contact details. t: 020 7188 8815 fax: 020 7188 5953 NHS Direct - Offers health information and advice from specially trained nurses over the phone 24 hours a day. t: 0845 4647 w: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk NHS Choices – Provides online information and guidance on all aspects of health and healthcare, to help you make choices about your health. w: www.nhs.uk Leaflet number: 3653/VER1 2 of 2 Date published: April 2013 Review date: April 2016 © 2013 Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust