Question

The nurse is reviewing the record of a client in the labor room and notes that the health care provider has documented that the fetal presenting part is at the -1 station. This documented finding indicates that the fetal presenting part is located at which area?

A) Above the ischial spines
B) At the ischial spines
C) Below the ischial spines
D) In the pelvic outlet

Answer 1

B) At the ischial spines

The -1 station for a fetal presenting part signifies that it is positioned one centimeter above the ischial spines, representing descent into the birth canal but not yet reaching a critical landmark in labor.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a fetal presenting part is at the -1 station, this indicates that the part is located above the ischial spines. The station is a measure within the context of obstetrics used to describe the degree of descent of the fetal head (or presenting part) in the birth canal relative to two bony landmarks in the pelvis known as the ischial spines. The scale ranges from -5 (high in the pelvis) to +5 (at the pelvic outlet), with 0 being the level of the ischial spines. Therefore, a presentation at the -1 station is just one centimeter above the ischial spines, indicating that the fetus has descended into the pelvis but not yet reached the level of the spines, which is a key landmark in labor progress.