Fetal Acidosis

Fetal acidosis means that the fetus has an abnormally acidic blood pH, often reflecting an imbalance between acid production and removal. Umbilical cord blood gases obtained after birth can provide evidence about acid-base status near delivery. Acidosis can have respiratory, metabolic, or mixed components and must be interpreted with the clinical course. It can support an investigation into oxygen deprivation, but a result alone does not establish the timing, cause, severity, or preventability of an injury.