Fetal anomalies most commonly associated with single umbilical artery include several anomalies like ventricular septal defects, hydronephrosis, cleft lip, ventral wall defects, esophageal atresia, spina bifida, hydrocephaly, holoprosencephaly, diaphragmatic hernia, cystic hygromas, and polydactyly or syndactyly.
Serious umbilical cord problems can result in brain damage or the death of the baby. Umbilical cord compression occurs when the baby's weight, the placenta or the vaginal walls put pressure on the cord during pregnancy, labor or delivery. Cord compression during pregnancy is a common problem.
If the umbilical cord is too long, it can lead to other problems and complications particularly during delivery. Long umbilical cords are more likely to result in emergency events such as fetal entanglement, cord prolapse, and true cord knots (as opposed to false knots, which are nothing).
Complications associated with long or short umbilical cord may explain this enigma. Excessively short cords have been associated with a delay in second stage of labor, irregular fetal heart rate, placental abruption, rupture of umbilical cord, inversion of uterus, birth asphyxia, and cord herniation.
Atresia, aplasia, or agenesis of one artery can lead to single umbilical artery syndrome [5]. Single umbilical artery (SUA) is the most common abnormality of the umbilical cord.
An abnormal vessel course within the umbilical cord is associated with a higher rate of fetal distress, chromosomal abnormalities, IUGR, decelerations on cardiotocography, and even fetal death [9,11]. It may be easily visualized with Color Doppler ultrasonography in sagittal and transverse scans.
A nuchal cord is a complication that occurs when the umbilical cord wraps around the baby's neck one or more times. This is common and occurs in about 15 to 35 percent of pregnancies.
Table I summarizes these cases and surprisingly suggests that the majority of deaths were during the mother's sleep cycle (12 midnight to 7 am). Fetal death could be explained by known physiologic changes which occur during maternal sleep.
There's no way yet to prevent nuchal cords or unwind them from a baby's neck in the womb. But when a baby is born with a nuchal cord, your doctor will know what to do because it happens so frequently. The colored sections of the ultrasound show that the umbilical cord is under the baby's chin.
There used to be a belief that a two-vessel cord signaled an increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome, but that's actually not true — those would be more likely to be signaled by other symptoms, and your doc would look at other factors to diagnose something like that.
Vitamin K is needed to form blood clots and to stop bleeding. Babies are born with very small amounts of vitamin K stored in their bodies, which can lead to a serious bleeding problem known as vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB). VKDB can lead to brain damage and death.
The most common severe birth defects are heart defects, neural tube defects and Down syndrome. Although birth defects may be the result of one or more genetic, infectious, nutritional or environmental factors, it is often difficult to identify the exact causes. Some birth defects can be prevented.
First trimester screening is a combination of tests completed between weeks 11 and 13 of pregnancy. It is used to look for certain birth defects related to the baby's heart or chromosomal disorders, such as Down syndrome. This screen includes a maternal blood test and an ultrasound.
It's not always possible to detect all birth defects in utero. However, high-resolution ultrasounds done by certified prenatal ultrasound groups make it possible to diagnose defects that will cause a significant impact before birth.
According to research from the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network, umbilical cord accidents account for around 10% of stillbirths. 1 While people often assume that the deaths are caused by accidental strangulation, they are most often the result of a sudden disruption of the blood supply to the baby.
When the umbilical cord is not cut, it naturally seals off after about an hour after birth. The umbilical cord and attached placenta will fully detach from the baby anywhere from two to 10 days after the birth.
Types of Abnormal Cord Insertion
There are four kinds of cord insertions: marginal, velamentous, marginal, eccentric, and central. Central is normal. Eccentric, which is the lateral insertion of the umbilical cord >2 cm from the placental margin, is also not a grave concern.
Common signs of umbilical cord problems include an irregular fetal heartbeat and decreased or low fetal movement. Umbilical cord problems can be a serious threat to the child's health and should be carefully monitored and treated as necessary.
Umbilical cord blood can show signs of a variety of drugs, including opiates; such as heroin and fentanyl; cocaine; marijuana; and sedatives. If any of these drugs are found in cord blood, a health care provider can take steps to treat the baby and help avoid complications such as developmental delays.
Birth defects can occur during any stage of pregnancy. Most birth defects occur in the first 3 months of pregnancy, when the organs of the baby are forming.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 4,500 (or 1.7%) of Australian babies are born with birth defects each year. Most birth defects are detected during pregnancy or at birth, while some are not diagnosed until infancy and childhood.
Overall, male newborns are at higher relative risk of cardiovascular, cleft lip and omphalocele. Male newborns had a higher relative risk increases of any anomaly, cardiovascular disease, and diaphragmatic hernia with increasing maternal BMIs.