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Procedure: Foetal Blood Test
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Description and Purpose
Also known as cordocentesis , foetal
blood sampling , umbilical cord blood testing ,
and percutaneous umbilical blood sampling
(PUBS). A foetal blood test involves the insertion of a thin hollow needle,
guided by , through
the abdominal wall and into the
to withdraw a sample of blood from the . A Foetal blood test is not the same as .
The aims of this test include:
- To rapidly verify the presence of Down syndrome or another .
- To evaluate the presence of chromosomal abnormalities when
results are ambiguous.
- To detect the presence of infectious disease such as ,
, or
in the foetus, so that it can be treated.
- To perform a blood count and check for
or low platelet levels in the foetus.
Preparation and Procedure
If this procedure is carried out in the third trimester an overnight
fast may be required in case an emergency is required.
Guided by an ultrasound image, the doctor introduces a long, thin needle
through the abdomen and uterus into the umbilical cord. A small sample
(sometimes 2) of blood is drawn from the umbilical cord, and checked if
it is indeed foetal blood.
is monitored during the procedure. The whole procedure takes up to 1 hour
and carries a risk of
comparable to (1%-2%),
as well as a small risk of infection and temporary slowing of foetal heartbeat.
The blood is then analysed for the same conditions as in
and may be checked for the presence of antibodies.
The information in this page is presented in summarised form and has been taken
from the following source(s):
1.
The Yale University School of Medicine Patient's Guide to
Medical Tests, Barry L. Zaret M.D., Senior Editor, published by Houghton Mifflin.
Online: common_procedures/doppler_ultrasound.html
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Introduction
