An adaptive correlation ratemeter: a new method for Doppler fetal heart rate measurements

Abstract

For use in a cardiotocograph, ultrasound Doppler fetal singles have been thought to provide merely a limited reliability of the fetal heart rate record because of the difficulty of signal processing to obtain a consistent trigger, although the signal itself is easy to obtain with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio. However, the authors have developed a unique signal processing system using a correlation technique with an automatic adaptation algorithm, which solved almost all of the difficulties associated with the old Doppler cardiotocograph and showed that the ultrasound Doppler fetal signal can also provide heart rate records compatible to that obtained by a fetal ECG system. The authors are sure that their method is a most promising one in the coming age of microprocessor-oriented instrumentation.