Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Introduction: Vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate) are thought to undergo changes during and immediately after pregnancy. However, these physiological changes are not taken into account in the normal ranges, which themselves are not evidence-based, used in routine and acute care monitoring. We aim to synthesise the existing evidence base for changes in vital signs during pregnancy, in order to derive new centile charts for each stage of pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period. Methods and analysis: We will search the MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases from their inception to April 2015 for vital signs from pregnant, intrapartum or postpartum women who were recruited as 'healthy'. Assessment of bias will be conducted using a predefined set of independently agreed methodological criteria, which assigns an overall quality score to each study. We will record whether the vital sign measurements were made with measurement devices validated for use in pregnancy and in a standard posture. We will use regression methods to construct centile charts of vital signs across pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period for each vital sign. We will compare existing reference ranges to those derived from our centile charts. Dissemination: The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated electronically and in print. PROSPERO reference: CRD42014009673.

Original publication

DOI

10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008769

Type

Journal article

Journal

BMJ Open

Publication Date

01/01/2016

Volume

6