Sun14November1246PM 8

Intrapulmonary shunt (Qs/Qt) in a pregnant, normotensive woman in the lateral position at term is approximately:

(Please select 1 option)

5%

15% This is the correct answer

10% Incorrect answer selected

3%

20%

Explanation

Hankins et al. measured Qs/Qt in a group of pregnant volunteers at term. They found that directly measured Qs/Qt averaged:

15.3% in the left lateral

15.2% in the right lateral

13.9% in the supine

12.8% in the knee-chest

13.8% in the sitting, and

13.0% in the standing position.

This represented a marked increase in venous admixture in comparison with the non-pregnant state.

Reference:

Hankins GD, Harvey CJ, Clark SL, et al. The effects of maternal position and cardiac output on intrapulmonary shunt in normal third-trimester pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol. 1996;88:327-30.

Answer Statistics

1

30%

2

24%

3

32%

4

9%

5

8%

Times answered: 236