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Delivery in an obstetric birth chair: a randomized controlled trial
Author(s) -
CROWLEY P.,
ELBOURNE D.,
ASHURST H.,
GARCIA J.,
MURPHY D.,
DUIGNAN N.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1991.tb13453.x
Subject(s) - medicine , vaginal delivery , cephalic presentation , randomized controlled trial , obstetrics , pregnancy , surgery , genetics , biology
Objective— To determine whether nulliparae whose second stage of labour is conducted in an obstetric birth chair have a lower incidence of instrumental delivery than those using a conventional delivery bed. Design— Randomized controlled trial using sealed, opaque envelopes for allocation. Setting— Delivery ward in a busy teaching hospital. Patients— 1250 nulliparae with a singleton live fetus with cephalic presentation, without epidural anaesthesia, who had achieved full dilatation. Intervention— Intention to conduct second and third stages of labour in either the Birth‐EZ chair or the conventional delivery bed, as randomly allocated. Main outcome measures— Primary measure: vaginal operative delivery; principal secondary measures: duration of second stage, perineal trauma, blood loss, women's views, and neonatal status. Results— Delivery in the birth chair did not result in a reduction in operative delivery, overall. However, there was a reduction in vaginal operative delivery for fetal heart rate abnormality. There was no beneficial effect on perineal trauma or puerperal perineal pain. Post‐partum haemorrhage was more frequent in the birth chair group. Conclusions— Delivery in the birth chair does not offer any obvious advantage to women over delivery on a bed.