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Telemedicine is one of the fastest developing forms of providing medical services in the last two years, combining elements of telecommunications, IT and medicine. Although some of its elements have been known in Poland and in the world for many years, it was the pandemic that significantly accelerated the development and popularization of this segment. One of the innovative telemedicine solutions offered today is teleKTG for pregnant women.
Good and easy contact with medical personnel is of paramount importance for medical care to meet the high expectations of patients. It is in this context that telemedicine turned out to be helpful – this form of contact between the patient and the doctor significantly increased the possibilities of access to specialists, and thus built an increased sense of better care. Currently, no one is surprised by on-line consultations, issued e-prescriptions, e-leaves or virtual referrals for examinations or to the hospital. One of the telemedicine solutions is also teleKTG, i.e. remote pregnancy monitoring using a mobile CTG device.
KTG – what you should know about this test
KTG examination, i.e. cardiotocography, is designed to check the well-being of the fetus by recording the fetal heart rate and changes in uterine muscle tone, i.e. contractions. At the same time, he assesses their mutual dependencies. Thanks to the examination, it is possible to identify increasing disorders related to changes in oxygenation of fetal blood and the resulting consequences.
With the help of two special heads – pelottes, placed appropriately to the abdomen, the fetal heart rate and uterine contractions are recorded – this record is sent to the device. During a hospital examination, a stationary device prints a CTG record on paper, which is then evaluated by medical staff.
If the pregnancy is normal, CTG testing is recommended at the time of delivery. However, in many cases, when pregnancy is accompanied by other diseases – such as diabetes, hypertension, cholestasis or kidney diseases, CTG testing is recommended from the 34th week or – in some cases – it may be earlier. The reason to consider increased CTG surveillance is also the observation of a reduced amount of amniotic fluid or inhibition of fetal growth. Finally, pregnant women over 39 are also eligible for previously performed cardiotocography, and there are more and more of them in Poland and around the world.
teleKTG – a convenient solution for the times
Traditional CTG, performed in a stationary machine or at the emergency room of a maternity hospital, requires the patient to come to the facility, perform the examination and wait for the time needed by the medical staff to evaluate the record obtained. Such an endeavor often requires spending several hours away from home, which for many pregnant women is an enormous effort. However, modern technological thought has found a way to simplify the entire process. It was in line with this idea that teleKTG was created, i.e. a mobile system for performing KTG, anywhere and at any time.
The remote cardiotocography tool is a small device, equipped with a touch screen, on which the expectant mother can see the signal collected by the TOCO and FHR probes, her own heart rate and the number of fetal movements marked by her. The technological advancement of this solution allows for the performance of a CTG recording of a quality identical to the record obtained in the examination with a stationary machine, available at the doctor’s office.
Intuitive operation and an instructional video appearing on the screen of the device allow you to start the test in a few moments, which, like in the case of traditional CTG, takes about 30 minutes. During this time, the patient can be anywhere – in her home or anywhere else where she can lie down comfortably for the examination. After its completion, the electronic record is immediately sent to the Description Center, where the medical staff assesses it, and then, after approx. 10 minutes, inform the patient whether it is correct or needs to be repeated on the same day.
In turn, in the event of abnormalities, the patient is informed about the need to go to the hospital immediately due to the emerging risk features of the fetus. Regardless of the result, the patient always has the opportunity to talk to the medical staff, which increases her psychological comfort and allows to dispel any fears.
At Medonet Market you can buy a set of blood tests for pregnant women, thanks to which the work of individual organs and general health will be checked.
Mobile fetal welfare test – why is it worth it
The mobile CTG examination can be performed by any of its users at any time, at any time, also at night, if something bothers her, because the Telemonitoring Center operates XNUMX hours a day, seven days a week. This solution has a number of advantages that significantly affect the safety and comfort of a pregnant woman. First of all, the possibility of performing a teleCTG guarantees a significant saving of time, which in the case of a stationary examination must be spent on the way to the doctor and waiting in the queue for the examination. This is important, especially for women who live far away from the nearest health center that can perform CTG or who have children under their care.
The convenience of performing cardiotocography at home is also a significant facilitation for patients in a special health situation, e.g. those who face motor disabilities or who have undergone surgical procedures during pregnancy. The ability to perform the test in a friendly and familiar environment, with the possibility of trouble-free contact with the medical staff, makes the pregnant woman feel fully cared for and much calmer.
The benefits of using teleKTG, however, go far beyond increasing the sense of comfort in a pregnant woman. By using this solution, we also significantly affect the safety of the mother and child, and thus, we can realistically reduce the number of hospitalizations of pregnant women related to the need to monitor the well-being of the fetus. TeleKTG gives a chance for a quick diagnosis in all cases of malaise or anxiety in a pregnant woman, caused by e.g. decreased or increased movements of the fetus, or the appearance of premature contractions. It is also worth remembering about high-risk pregnancies conducted in specialist clinics, which can be monitored in the periods between visits. This is a real help for treating physicians who have access to the history of CTG records. This, in turn, makes it easier for them to make further therapeutic decisions.
Telemedicine is an important element of modern healthcare, which today creates real opportunities to increase professional care for a pregnant woman. Expecting a baby is a special time when it is worth betting on innovative, trustworthy solutions, such as mobile CTG.
The author of the text: Dr. Marzena Mazurek, MD, PhD, obstetrician-gynecologist, expert of the Pregnabit system