Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34914710›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2021

The electrical heart axis of the fetus between 18 and 24 weeks of gestation: A cohort study.

Carlijn Lempersz, Lore Noben, Sally-Ann B Clur, Edwin van den Heuvel, Zhouzhao Zhan, Monique Haak, S Guid Oei, Rik Vullings, Judith O E H van Laar

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Carlijn LemperszDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Máxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-6778-2153
Lore NobenDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Máxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
Sally-Ann B ClurDepartment of Pediatric Cardiology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Edwin van den HeuvelDepartment of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Zhouzhao ZhanDepartment of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Monique HaakDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
S Guid OeiDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Máxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
Rik VullingsDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Judith O E H van LaarDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Máxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
Radboud University Nijmegen · NLEindhoven University of Technology · NLAmsterdam University Medical Centers · NLLeiden University Medical Center · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionA fetal anomaly scan in mid-pregnancy is performed, to check for the presence of congenital anomalies, including congenital heart disease (CHD). Unfortunately, 40% of CHD is still missed. The combined use of ultrasound and electrocardiography might boost detection rates. The electrical heart axis is one of the characteristics which can be deduced from an electrocardiogram (ECG). The aim of this study was to determine reference values for the electrical heart axis in healthy fetuses around 20 weeks of gestation. MATERIAL AND

methodsNon-invasive fetal electrocardiography was performed subsequent to the fetal anomaly scan in pregnant women carrying a healthy singleton fetus between 18 and 24 weeks of gestation. Eight adhesive electrodes were applied on the maternal abdomen including one ground and one reference electrode, yielding six channels of bipolar electrophysiological measurements. After removal of interferences, a fetal vectorcardiogram was calculated and then corrected for fetal orientation. The orientation of the electrical heart axis was determined from this normalized fetal vectorcardiogram. Descriptive statistics were used on normalized cartesian coordinates to determine the average electrical heart axis in the frontal plane. Furthermore, 90% prediction intervals (PI) for abnormality were calculated.

resultsOf the 328 fetal ECGs performed, 281 were included in the analysis. The average electrical heart axis in the frontal plane was determined at 122.7° (90% PI: -25.6°; 270.9°). DISCUSSION: The average electrical heart axis of healthy fetuses around mid-gestation is oriented to the right, which is, due to the unique fetal circulation, in line with muscle distribution in the fetal heart.

Indexed as

ElectrocardiographyFetal HeartFetusPrenatal DiagnosisAdolescentAdultCohort StudiesFemaleHumansPregnancy

Identifiers

PMID34914710
PMCPMC8675734
OpenAlexW4200136710

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.