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
Percutaneous umbilical cord blood sampling are self-resolved within five minutes. The complication of infection has a low incidence rate, and preventative measures are implemented against the risk of infection, such as antibiotic usage and the aseptic technique. However, vertical transmission of a virus such as HIV may occur. Fetal loss may also occur, especially in the presence of several risk factors, including fetal abnormalities, operator errors, placental penetration, and viability of the fetus. Intrahepatic vein fetal blood sampling may be done as an alternative to PUBS. It involves the needle being inserted into the intrahepatic part of the umbilical cord in the fetal abdomen. The