Giving extra oxygen to mothers during labor to help the baby
Maternal oxygen supplementation for Intrauterine Resuscitation: a Multicenter Randomized Trial
This trial compares giving laboring mothers extra oxygen versus breathing room air when the fetal heart rate looks concerning, to see which leads to better newborn outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11175466 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your baby's heart rate shows concerning patterns during labor, you may be randomly assigned to receive extra oxygen through a mask or to breathe room air. Care teams will continue standard fetal monitoring and collect routine newborn measures like Apgar scores, cord blood tests, and whether the baby needs NICU care. The study happens at multiple hospitals and compares outcomes between those who got oxygen and those who did not to determine which approach is safer and more helpful for babies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are pregnant people admitted in labor at a participating hospital whose baby shows Category II (indeterminate) fetal heart rate patterns and who meet the study's delivery-room eligibility criteria.
Not a fit: People not in active labor, those with normal fetal heart tracings, those having a planned cesarean before labor, or those needing oxygen for maternal medical reasons likely would not benefit from joining this trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the trial could clarify whether giving extra oxygen to mothers during labor improves newborn health or is unnecessary, potentially changing routine labor care.
How similar studies have performed: Smaller randomized trials and a meta-analysis found no clear benefit of maternal oxygen and a pilot trial showed room air was noninferior for some cord-blood measures, so this larger trial aims to confirm those findings.
Where this research is happening
Saint Louis, United States
- Washington University — Saint Louis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Raghuraman, Nandini — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Raghuraman, Nandini
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.