A cardiotocography (CTG) machine, or cardiotocograph, is a medical device that records the fetal heart rate and maternal uterine contractions during pregnancy. It is a continuous electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) system used to assess the baby's well-being, particularly for high-risk pregnancies, both before and during labor.
Description
A CTG machine has two types of transducers to measure vital information, which is then displayed and printed on paper:
Doppler ultrasound transducer: One sensor is placed on the mother's abdomen to track the fetal heart rate using high-frequency sound waves.
Tocodynamometer: The second sensor is placed over the top of the uterus to measure the frequency and duration of the mother's contractions.
The CTG trace provides key information for interpretation, including: