Studies of Life Before Birth

Abstract

By surgical procedures, small physiological monitoring transmitters are placed within the body of fetal animals within the uterus of the mother. After a brief recovery period, various parameters are followed before, during, and after birth, the little animals being born with functioning transmitters already in place. The purpose of such studies is to determine normal values of various cardiovascular parameters in relatively undisturbed subjects and also to follow surgically-produced anatomical and physiological defects which mimic congenital embryologic abnormalities with the goal of learning to cope with these through fetal surgery. Transmission of fetal vectorcardiograms and intrauterine pressure will be described.