Question

A woman with a history of two stillbirths is in the active phase of the first stage of labor in the high-risk OB unit. How often should the nurse anticipate monitoring fetal heart tones (FHTs)?

A. Continuously
B. Every 5 minutes
C. Every 15 minutes
D. Every 30 minutes

Answer 1

For a high-risk pregnancy, such as a woman with a history of stillbirths, fetal heart tones should be monitored continuously during the active phase of the first stage of labor to ensure fetal well-being.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a high-risk obstetrics situation, such as with a woman who has had a history of stillbirths, fetal heart tones (FHTs) should be monitored more frequently to ensure fetal well-being during labor. In the active phase of the first stage of labor, monitoring often depends on hospital protocols and the specific risk factors present. However, continuous monitoring with electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) is standard practice for high-risk pregnancies to allow for immediate identification and response to potential distress. If not monitored continuously, FHTs in such a high-risk situation would typically be checked at very short intervals, which might be as often as every 5 minutes, but this is less common than continuous monitoring.