A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF PERINATAL MEDICINE (EAPM) Position statement: Use of appropriate terminology for situations related to inadequate fetal oxygenation in labor




AuthorsVayssière, Christophe; Yli, Branka; Ayres-de-Campos, Diogo; Ugwumadu, Austin; Loussert, Lola; Hellström-Westas, Lena; Timonen, Susanna; Schwarz, Christiane; Nunes, Inês; Roth, Georges-Emmanuel

PublisherElsevier

Publication year2024

Journal: European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology

Journal name in sourceEuropean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology

Volume294

First page 55

Last page57

ISSN0301-2115

eISSN1872-7654

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.01.006

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.01.006

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/381354865

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY NC ND

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract
In high-resource countries, adverse perinatal outcomes are currently rare in term, non-malformed fetuses, undergoing labor, but they remain a leading cause of medico-legal dispute. Precise terminology is important to describe situations related to inadequate fetal oxygenation in labor, to ensure appropriate communication between healthcare professionals and adequate transmission of information to parents. This position statement provides consensus definitions from European perinatologists and midwives regarding the most appropriate terminology to describe situations related to inadequate fetal oxygenation in labor: suspected fetal hypoxia, severe newborn acidemia, newborn metabolic acidosis, and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. It also identifies terms that are imprecise or nonspecific to this situation, and should therefore be avoided by healthcare professionals: fetal well-being, fetal stress, fetal distress, non-reassuring fetal state, and birth asphyxia.

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Last updated on 13/02/2026 04:01:28 PM