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Amniocentesis has traditionally been performed to assess the extent of fetal lung development in the context of medical and obstetrical complications, with the intention of delivering the fetus if fetal lung maturity is demonstrated. [9] Lack of fetal lung maturity increases the risk of infant respiratory distress syndrome. [10]
The lecithin–sphingomyelin ratio is a marker of fetal lung maturity. The outward flow of pulmonary secretions from the fetal lungs into the amniotic fluid maintains the level of lecithin and sphingomyelin equally until 32–33 weeks gestation, when the lecithin concentration begins to increase significantly while sphingomyelin remains nearly the same.
Amniocentesis is a low risk procedure, with risk of pregnancy loss between 1 in 1,500 – 1 in 700 procedures. Amniocentesis can be performed to obtain diagnostic genetic information, evaluate for intrauterine infection, or rarely, to assess for fetal lung maturity if early delivery is required.
It is the precursor of surfactant and its presence (>0.3) in the amniotic fluid of the newborn indicates fetal lung maturity. Approximately 98% of alveolar wall surface area is due to the presence of type I cells, with type II cells producing pulmonary surfactant covering around 2% of the alveolar walls.
The surfactant–albumin ratio is a test for assessing fetal lung maturity. [1] The test, though no longer commercially available, used an automatic analyzer to measure the polarized fluorescent light emitted from a sample of amniotic fluid that had been challenged with a fluorescent probe that interacted competitively with both lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) and albumin in such a way that ...
Few periods of life are more closely monitored and supervised than during one's pregnancy. Throughout this time, trained medical professionals conduct a series of prenatal visits with the mother ...
Arrangements like ours demand a deep commitment to prioritizing the children and an emotional and mental maturity I wasn't sure we were capable of. There have been moments of overwhelming anger ...
To ward off dementia, older adults may want to spend more time reading, praying, crafting, listening to music and engaging in other mentally stimulating behaviors, a new study says.