Evidence and clinical relevance of maternal-fetal cardiac coupling: A scoping review.
<h4>Background</h4>Researchers have long suspected a mutual interaction between maternal and fetal heart rhythms, referred to as maternal-fetal cardiac coupling (MFCC). While several studies have been published on this phenomenon, they vary in terms of methodologies, populations assessed...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287245&type=printable |
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| author | Thomas J Nichting Maretha Bester Rohan Joshi Massimo Mischi Myrthe van der Ven Daisy A A van der Woude S Guid Oei Judith O E H van Laar Rik Vullings |
| author_facet | Thomas J Nichting Maretha Bester Rohan Joshi Massimo Mischi Myrthe van der Ven Daisy A A van der Woude S Guid Oei Judith O E H van Laar Rik Vullings |
| author_sort | Thomas J Nichting |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Researchers have long suspected a mutual interaction between maternal and fetal heart rhythms, referred to as maternal-fetal cardiac coupling (MFCC). While several studies have been published on this phenomenon, they vary in terms of methodologies, populations assessed, and definitions of coupling. Moreover, a clear discussion of the potential clinical implications is often lacking. Subsequently, we perform a scoping review to map the current state of the research in this field and, by doing so, form a foundation for future clinically oriented research on this topic.<h4>Methods</h4>A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane. Filters were only set for language (English, Dutch, and German literature were included) and not for year of publication. After screening for the title and the abstract, a full-text evaluation of eligibility followed. All studies on MFCC were included which described coupling between heart rate measurements in both the mother and fetus, regardless of the coupling method used, gestational age, or the maternal or fetal health condition.<h4>Results</h4>23 studies remained after a systematic evaluation of 6,672 studies. Of these, 21 studies found at least occasional instances of MFCC. Methods used to capture MFCC are synchrograms and corresponding phase coherence indices, cross-correlation, joint symbolic dynamics, transfer entropy, bivariate phase rectified signal averaging, and deep coherence. Physiological pathways regulating MFCC are suggested to exist either via the autonomic nervous system or due to the vibroacoustic effect, though neither of these suggested pathways has been verified. The strength and direction of MFCC are found to change with gestational age and with the rate of maternal breathing, while also being further altered in fetuses with cardiac abnormalities and during labor.<h4>Conclusion</h4>From the synthesis of the available literature on MFCC presented in this scoping review, it seems evident that MFCC does indeed exist and may have clinical relevance in tracking fetal well-being and development during pregnancy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d4efa15477c54bc8a54c301f08a118b4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-d4efa15477c54bc8a54c301f08a118b42025-02-05T05:32:39ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01187e028724510.1371/journal.pone.0287245Evidence and clinical relevance of maternal-fetal cardiac coupling: A scoping review.Thomas J NichtingMaretha BesterRohan JoshiMassimo MischiMyrthe van der VenDaisy A A van der WoudeS Guid OeiJudith O E H van LaarRik Vullings<h4>Background</h4>Researchers have long suspected a mutual interaction between maternal and fetal heart rhythms, referred to as maternal-fetal cardiac coupling (MFCC). While several studies have been published on this phenomenon, they vary in terms of methodologies, populations assessed, and definitions of coupling. Moreover, a clear discussion of the potential clinical implications is often lacking. Subsequently, we perform a scoping review to map the current state of the research in this field and, by doing so, form a foundation for future clinically oriented research on this topic.<h4>Methods</h4>A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane. Filters were only set for language (English, Dutch, and German literature were included) and not for year of publication. After screening for the title and the abstract, a full-text evaluation of eligibility followed. All studies on MFCC were included which described coupling between heart rate measurements in both the mother and fetus, regardless of the coupling method used, gestational age, or the maternal or fetal health condition.<h4>Results</h4>23 studies remained after a systematic evaluation of 6,672 studies. Of these, 21 studies found at least occasional instances of MFCC. Methods used to capture MFCC are synchrograms and corresponding phase coherence indices, cross-correlation, joint symbolic dynamics, transfer entropy, bivariate phase rectified signal averaging, and deep coherence. Physiological pathways regulating MFCC are suggested to exist either via the autonomic nervous system or due to the vibroacoustic effect, though neither of these suggested pathways has been verified. The strength and direction of MFCC are found to change with gestational age and with the rate of maternal breathing, while also being further altered in fetuses with cardiac abnormalities and during labor.<h4>Conclusion</h4>From the synthesis of the available literature on MFCC presented in this scoping review, it seems evident that MFCC does indeed exist and may have clinical relevance in tracking fetal well-being and development during pregnancy.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287245&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Thomas J Nichting Maretha Bester Rohan Joshi Massimo Mischi Myrthe van der Ven Daisy A A van der Woude S Guid Oei Judith O E H van Laar Rik Vullings Evidence and clinical relevance of maternal-fetal cardiac coupling: A scoping review. PLoS ONE |
| title | Evidence and clinical relevance of maternal-fetal cardiac coupling: A scoping review. |
| title_full | Evidence and clinical relevance of maternal-fetal cardiac coupling: A scoping review. |
| title_fullStr | Evidence and clinical relevance of maternal-fetal cardiac coupling: A scoping review. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evidence and clinical relevance of maternal-fetal cardiac coupling: A scoping review. |
| title_short | Evidence and clinical relevance of maternal-fetal cardiac coupling: A scoping review. |
| title_sort | evidence and clinical relevance of maternal fetal cardiac coupling a scoping review |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287245&type=printable |
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