Standard versus „Hand-Pump“ Vacuum Delivery Device

Overview

Objective:
Clinical evaluation of a standard vacuum delivery device and „hand-pump“ vacuumdelivery device.Design: Retrospective clinical study.Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, City Hospital, Litoměřice.Methods: In the period between January 1993 and the end of December 2003 there were 81 deliveriesby vacuum at our department, 55 of which (67.90%) were with standard vacuum deliverydevice and 26 (32.10%) with „hand-pump“ vacuum delivery device. We evaluated the differencesin the following parameters: 1. basic characteristics – maternal age, parity, gestational age, birthweight and type of labor, 2. early maternal morbidity – the presence of episiotomy, perineal andvaginal tears, blood loss, the need of blood transfusion, duration of hospitalization and postpartumincontinentia urinae and alvi, 3. early neonatal morbidity – pH a. umbilicalis, Apgar scoreand the presence of newborn‘s trauma. The differences found in individual groups were thenused for statistics and evaluated.Results: In comparison with standard vacuum delivery device the usage of „hand-pump“ vacuumdelivery device appears to be more convenient for its signifi cantly higher reliability, especiallydue to construction and also for its favourable features at early neonatal morbidity.Conclusion: We have proved that the „hand-pump“ vacuum delivery device is in comparison withstandard vacuum delivery device more favourable with newborns and more convenient to usefor its high reliability.

Key words:
standard and „hand-pump“ vacuum delivery device, early maternal and neonatalmorbidity.