Abstract

Ritodrine infusion to fetal lambs causes numerous metabolic perturbations including hypoxemia. To investigate these changes further and to elucidate a mechanism for the development of hypoxemia, ritodrine was infused at rate of 2.6 micrograms/min into nine chronically catheterized fetal lambs for 8, 12 or 24 hr. Plasma levels of ritodrine (20.0 +/- 2.7 ng/ml) were within the range of those reported in human fetuses exposed to ritodrine tocolysis. Fetal arterial glucose levels nearly doubled (0.72 +/- 0.07 to 1.29 +/- 0.18 mM), whereas lactate levels rose more than 5-fold (1.54 +/- 0.11 to 8.67 +/- 1.12 mM), with the latter change leading to a decline in fetal arterial pH from 7.370 +/- 0.004 to 7.273 +/- 0.033. Fetal oxygen consumption (VO2) rose from 342 +/- 35 to 407 +/- 30 mumol/min.kg via an increase in fetal fractional O2 extraction (32.0 +/- 1.1 to 49.0 +/- 1.7%). The rise in fetal O2 extraction contributed to concurrent declines in fetal arterial PO2 (21.9 +/- 0.6 to 17.0 +/- 0.5 mm Hg) and O2 content (3.7 +/- 0.2 to 2.1 +/- 0.1 mM). Umbilical venous PO2 and O2 content also fell resulting in a decline in fetal O2 delivery (DO2) from 1115 +/- 97 to 838 +/- 68 mumol/min.kg. The rise in fetal VO2 was reflected by a similar rise uterine VO2 (not significant), with the latter being accompanied by a significant increase in uterine O2 extraction and decrease in uterine venous PO2 and O2 content, perhaps contributing to the fall in fetal DO2. In conclusion, fetal hypoxemia during the infusion of ritodrine results from an increase in fetal VO2 that is not compensated for by a similar increase in umbilical or uterine DO2. These metabolic effects may put the fetus at risk, particularly in situations in which fetal DO2 is already reduced, as may occur in compromised pregnancies.