This thread is for the debate discussion of the glossary item, 'fetal circulation'.

I found this web site really good for understanding the fetal heart. What does other people think. I know we alrealy have something on the fetal heart but thought this was worth showing you guys.

http://www.indiana.edu/~anat550/cvanim/fetcirc/fetcirc.html

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Here is a good link to describe it too, its a difficult topic, so you may want to use the link a few times.
http://www.layyous.com/Videoclips/fetal_circulation.htm

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Oh these are fantatsic. I enjoyed doing fetal circulation. I found it easier to understand that adult circulation, but thats possibly because we were taught adult first, so fetal made more sense!

Thats fab.

I enjoyed fetal circulation at uni. I think it's because I already had a basic understanding of the ciculation etc from doing it about adults

Those are brill though, thank you

This describes the mechanism with immediate cord clamping/cutting (as commonly practiced today). But if the cord is not clamped immediately, but left until cord stops pulsating (standard practice before 1970s/80s) there is a period in which oxygen is provided both from placenta and respiration. I would suggest that this is closer to the natural physiology of respiration/circulation in fetal transition to extrauterine life. See Mercer and Skovgaard "Fetal to neonatal transition" in Soo Downe "Normal Childbirth: evidence and debate"