Question

A client is 36 weeks’ gestation. The doctor has ordered a non-stress test to be performed. Her obstetrician provided her with no information about the test. The client is anxious and concerned about the test.

1. How will you explain the test to her?

2. Draw and label a reactive and draw a non-reactive NST strip

Answer 1

NON-STRESS TEST-

The non-stress test indicates the fetal condition and is the most widely used primary testing method for the assessment of fetal well-being.In this test fetal accelerations are studied in response to fetal movements.

1)  So basically two instruments are used primarly -

• Transabdominal Doppler ultrasound transducer-To record the fetal heart rate.
• Tocodynamometer-to detect uterine contractions.

These two are applied on the abdomen at the same time simultaneously.It is carried out about 20-40minutes.The pregnant mother is given an role to mark every time the fetus moves/kicks.The response of the FETAL HEART RATE forms the basis of NON STRESS TEST.

You also mention that you will be checking the blood pressure of the pregnant mother at regular intervals.

INTERPRETATION;-

• Reactive-A reactive test is the presence of two or more accelerations that peak at 15 bpm(beats per min) or more in response to fetal movement.
• Non-Reactive-It is considered non-reactive if there are no fetal movements and hence no fetal accelerations over the period of 40min.

2) Reactive NST-

NON-REACTIVE NST-