evaluation of ph and apgar score of neonates born by cesarean section due to the fetal distress

Background and objective: despite the value of the apgar score in diagnosingneonates with fetal distress and intrauterine asphyxia, a low apgar score does notnecessarily indicate fetal asphyxia. the non-stress test (nst) is a method, monitoringthe fetal health and providing data on the proper time for ending the pregnancy inemergent situations; however, sometimes it is not very accurate to diagnose hypoxialeading to unnecessary cesarean delivery. the aim of this study is evaluating ofumbilical cord ph and apgar score of neonates born by cesarean section due to thefetal distress in nst.methods: in this analytical cross-sectional study, all 139 neonates with animpaired nst were enrolled at 2018. in addition to information such as 1st and5th minute apgar scores and umbilical cord ph, the demographic data ofmothers and neonates were gathered.findings: in total, 252 impaired nst patterns were found in all studied neonates.bradycardia and late decelerations had a significant relationship with acidosis.moreover, late decelerations were associated with lower apgar scores. umbilicalartery ph was significantly correlated with 1-minute (r=0.34; p=0.001) and 5-minuteapgar scores (r=0.32; p=0.001). positive predictive value of nst was 48.9%.conclusion: the results showed that nst had a moderate positive predictive valuefor the diagnosis of fetal acidosis in neonates with tachycardia or non-reactive nst.there was a significant relationship between late deceleration and arterial acidosiswith first and five minute apgar score in neonates. the mean total arterial acidosisrate was significantly lower in the group with apgar score less than 7.