The effect of mild hypoxemia maintained for twenty-four hours on maternal and fetal glucose, lactate, cortisol, and arginine vasopressin in pregnant sheep at 122 to 139 days' gestation

The effects of prolonged mild hypoxemia on the fetus have received little attention. We investigated the response to a decrease in fetal arterial P_O2 of 5 mm Hg or less sustained for a period of 24 hours in the chronically instrumented fetal lamb. Hypoxemia was induced by an infusion of nitrogen via the maternal trachea for 24 hours in 13 pregnant sheep at 122 to 139 days' gestation. Two control periods of air infusion via the maternal trachea for 24 hours were alternated with hypoxemia. Fetal hypoxemia was not associated with any change in fetal pH. During the first and second exposures to hypoxemia, there was an increase in fetal plasma lactate of 22.8 ± 22.3 and 15.3 ± 14.6 mg · dl⁻¹ (mean ± SD) above preliminary values (p < 0.05) compared with the control period. Fetal plasma cortisol also increased by 5.7 ± 6.1 and 9.5 ± 5.4 ng · ml⁻¹ (mean ± SD) (p < 0.05) compared with the control period. These results suggest that the fetal lamb at 122 to 139 days' gestation is highly sensitive to small decrements in P_O2 of 5 mm Hg or less.