# An investigation of the umbilical artery N-terminal proBrain natriuretic peptide levels of fetuses due to fetal distress in term pregnancies

## TL;DR

This study found that a specific blood marker, NT-proBNP, is higher in fetuses with distress during term pregnancies, suggesting it could help diagnose fetal distress.

## Contribution

The study identifies umbilical artery NT-proBNP as a potential biomarker for diagnosing fetal distress in term pregnancies.

## Key findings

- Fetuses with distress had significantly higher umbilical artery NT-proBNP levels compared to controls.
- NT-proBNP levels correlated with other indicators of fetal distress, such as lower Apgar scores and umbilical artery pH.
- The study suggests NT-proBNP could serve as a reliable marker for fetal distress diagnosis.

## Abstract

This study aimed to investigate umbilical artery N-terminal proBrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in fetuses delivered by cesarean section due to fetal distress in term pregnancies.

This prospective case-control study was conducted at the Antalya Training and Research Hospital Obstetric Department, Turkiye. A total of 140 pregnant women, 70 underwent elective cesarean sections between weeks 37 and 40 of gestation (Group 1, the control group) and 70 underwent cesarean sections due to fetal distress (Group 2, the study group), were included. The participants’ sociodemographic and obstetric data and fetal umbilical blood NT-proBNP levels were recorded in a database.

Age, body mass index, gestational age, prenatal diagnostic tests, fetal anatomical scanning, and baby gender ratios were comparable between the groups (p>0.05), while statistically significant differences were observed in terms of gravidity (3.0 vs. 1.0, p≤0.001) and parity numbers (2 vs. 0, p≤0.001), baby height (50.36±0.88 vs. 49.80±0.86, p≤0.001) and weight (3422.43±409.16 vs. 3239.86±293.74, p=0.003), 1-min Apgar (9.0±0.1 vs. 8.5±1.3, p≤0.001) and 5-min Apgar (10.0±0.1 vs. 9.8±0.4, p=0.026) scores, umbilical artery pH (7.32±0.05 vs. 7.25±0.07, p≤0.001), umbilical artery base deficit (-2.48±1.23 vs. −4.36±1.09. p≤0.001), and NT-proBNP levels [8.77 (7.72–9.39) vs. 12.35 (9.69–12.92), p<0.001].

This study showed that NT-proBNP can be used as an important marker in the diagnosis of fetal distress. Prospective studies with more participants are now needed to confirm the accuracy of our results.