Umbilical cord vein

All nine months of pregnancy, the mother and child have a connection due to the umbilical cord that extends from the abdominal wall of the fetus (this place having a kind of scar after birth is called the navel) and attached to the placenta. The umbilical cord is a cord in the form of a twisted spiral containing one vein and two umbilical arteries. Arterial blood with oxygen and nutrients from the placenta to the fetus comes through the umbilical arteries. Blood flows through the vein from the fetus to the placenta, enriched with carbon dioxide and metabolic products. Possible entanglement of the umbilical cord creates a threat to the life of the fetus due to oxygen starvation (intrauterine hypoxia). After cutting the umbilical cord at the birth of a child, he begins to live separately from his mother. Early cutting of the umbilical cord (in the first few seconds after delivery) leads to loss of arterial blood and a deficiency of iron and hemoglobin in the blood of the newborn.

Protects the vessels of the umbilical cord (from any harmful effects and mechanical damage) surrounding them with a special gelatinous material consisting of mucopolysaccharides, and called warton jelly. The umbilical cord allows not only to exchange arterial and venous blood between the mother's body and the fetus, but also to make movements in the amniotic fluid, during which, for various reasons, the cord may become umbilical cord. Developing with the child, the umbilical cord at the time of his birth corresponds to the usual growth of the newborn (on average 55 cm) and has a diameter of one and a half to two centimeters.

A lot of abnormalities of the umbilical cord are known, they can not always be established by prenatal ultrasound. Many of them are not obvious before delivery. Only in the case of monochorionic twins (identical twins having a common placenta), undivided by a septum, and also placenta previa (with the risk of its detachment), an early warning can be obtained. Such an abnormality, as the umbilical cord entanglement, forms risk factors that are characterized by various complications and suggest certain behaviors to prevent associated diseases and mortality.

The length of the umbilical cord for unknown reasons in 5% of cases may be less than 35 cm, and in 5% of cases longer than 80 cm. Short umbilical cord restricts and disrupts intrauterine movements of the fetus, and also creates a risk of premature detachment of the placenta. Too long umbilical cord leads to entanglement of the fetus, that is, an umbilical cord may become entangled due to the formation of true knots. Evaluation of the length of the umbilical cord is prenatal (that is, before delivery) is not possible. In addition to the true nodes during pregnancy, false nodules can also form on the umbilical cord. The true sites account for approximately 1% of pregnancies with a high proportion of cases of monochorionic twins. False nodes (kinks in the umbilical cord) are more common, but not dangerous for the fetus.

A true node of the umbilical cord arises from fetal movements and is likely to develop early in pregnancy, when a relatively large amount of amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid) is observed , so the fetal movement is more intense. The risk of the formation of true nodes directly depends on the age of the mother, the length of the umbilical cord and the amount of amniotic fluid. Frequent stress and increased levels of adrenaline in the blood increase the mobility of the fetus.

Possible cord embryology is diagnosed by fetal hypoxia during cardiotocography research. Then an echographic study is performed, which examines the presence of loops formed by the umbilical cord in the neck. Also conduct a color Doppler study and study the movement of blood through the vessels. If the hypoxia of the fetus is suspected, these studies are repeated several times during the pregnancy of the woman, because as a result of the fetal movement, the nodes can not only become entangled, but also unravel. Enlisting the umbilical cord during labor causes bradycardia of the fetus. To reduce the risk allows constant monitoring of the fetal heartbeat, stimulation is also used to accelerate childbirth, and in case of urgent need, the operation for urgent fetal extraction is performed - cesarean section.