Fetal death from sepsis following a reassuring intrapartum fetal acoustic stimulation test.

An intrapartum fetal death within 20 minutes of a reassuring acoustically stimulated fetal heart rate acceleration is reported. The cause of death in this instance was congenital pneumonia, gram-negative sepsis, and meconium aspiration. Umbilical cord pH values obtained at delivery did not demonstrate asphyxia (ie, low pO2, high pCO2, and low pH), but suggested a metabolic acidosis typical of sepsis.