Question

A nurse has assessed baseline fetal heart tones (FHTs) by auscultation and documents a funic souffle of 158 beats/minute and a uterine souffle of 90 beats/minute. When the first nurse gives a handoff report to an oncoming nurse, what can the second nurse conclude from this information?

A. Fetal and maternal heart rates are outside of normal limits.
B. Fetal and maternal heart rates are within normal limits.
C. The second nurse cannot distinguish between fetal and maternal heart rates.
D. There is a great deal of fetal heart rate variability between contractions.

Answer 1

The fetal and maternal heart rates are within normal limits.

Step-by-step explanation:

The second nurse can conclude that the fetal and maternal heart rates are within normal limits.

A funic souffle refers to the sound of blood flow in the umbilical cord. A uterine souffle refers to the sound of blood flow in the placenta. In a normal pregnancy, the fetal heart rate is typically higher than the maternal heart rate.

In this case, the fetal heart rate is 158 beats/minute, while the maternal heart rate is 90 beats/minute. Both rates are within the normal range for a healthy pregnancy.