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Vacuum Extraction and Forceps Delivery in a District Hospital
Author(s) -
RACOG Jonathan Carter Dip,
FRACOG Clive W. Gudgeon
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1479-828X
pISSN - 0004-8666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-828x.1987.tb00958.x
Subject(s) - forceps , vacuum extraction , forceps delivery , medicine , gestational age , postpartum haemorrhage , obstetrics , incidence (geometry) , birth weight , parity (physics) , pregnancy , surgery , vaginal delivery , mathematics , biology , physics , particle physics , genetics , geometry
Summary: We compared 302 vacuum extractions and 205 forceps deliveries at Fairfield District Hospital, Sydney, over a period of 30 months. Age, parity, gestational age, length of labour and birth‐weight were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Significantly less analgesia was required for mothers whose babies were delivered by vacuum extraction compared with mothers with forceps deliveries (p < 0.01). Average blood loss was slightly higher during forceps delivery as compared with vacuum extraction and there was a significantly higher incidence of postpartum haemorrhage after forceps delivery (p < 0.05). More babies were jaundiced after vacuum extraction and more required phototherapy, but the differences were slight and were not statistically significant. We conclude that vacuum extraction is a useful and safe alternative to forceps delivery in a district hospital setting.