Umbilical artery Umbilical artery The umbilical artery is a paired artery (with one for each half of the body) that is found in the abdominal and pelvic regions. In the fetus, it extends into the umbilical cord. The umbilical arteries supply deoxygenated blood from the fetus to the placenta. Although this blood is typically referred to as deoxygenated, it is important to note that this blood is fetal systemic arterial blood and will have the same amount of oxygen and nutrients as blood distributed to the other fetal tissues. There are usually two umbilical arteries present together with one umbilical vein in
Umbilical cord prolapse to congenital anomalies or prematurity, however. It is considered an emergency. The first sign of umbilical cord prolapse is usually a sudden decrease in fetal heart rate that is severe and does not immediately resolve. On a fetal heart tracing, this would usually look like moderate to severe variable decelerations. Occasionally, the cord can be seen or felt on vaginal examination, particularly with overt cord prolapse. Risk factors that are associated with umbilical cord prolapse tend to make it difficult for the fetus from appropriately engaging and filling the maternal pelvis or are related to abnormalities of the umbilical cord.