BMJ  2004;329 (3 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7456.0-b

Forceps and vacuum delivery pose the same mortality risk for babies

Neonatal mortality is similar after vacuum delivery and forceps delivery. Demissie and colleagues (p 24) analysed more than 12 million deliveries in US and New Jersey birth cohort files and found that, compared with babies delivered with forceps, those who had vacuum deliveries had a lower risk of birth injuries, neonatal seizures, and assisted ventilation but a higher risk of post-partum haemorrhage and shoulder dystocia. Fetal distress was more common with instrumental delivery, and nulliparous women were more likely than parous women to have instrumental deliveries. Vacuum extraction does have risks, but it remains a safe alternative to forceps delivery, conclude the authors.

Credit: RUTH JENKINSON/MOTHER & BABY

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