Operative delivery and C-sections Flashcards
What is the advantage of instrumental vaginal delivery over caesarean second in the second stage of labour?
helps avoid maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality
What is the operative vaginal delivery rate in the UK?
10-15%
What factors determine whether to use forceps or ventouse?
they are comlementary to each other
operator’s skill and experience, as well as clinical findings
What 2 groups can indications for instrumental delivery be divded into?
- Maternal
- Fetal
What are 4 maternal indications for instrumental delivery?
- Exhaustion
- Prolonged 2nd stage:
- >1h of passive phase and 1h of active pushing in nulliparous women
- >2h of passive phase and 1h of active pushing in primiparous women
- Medical indications for avoiding Valsalva manoevre
- Pushing is not possiblle (paraplegia or tetraplegia)
What is the definition of a prolonged 2nd stage of labor for 1. multiparous women and 2. primiparous women?
- Multi: >1h passive phase and 1h active pushing
- Nulliparous: >2h passive phase and 1h active pushing
What are 3 examples of medical indications for avoiding Valsalva manoevre, indicating instrumental delivery?
- Severe cardiac disease
- Hypertensive crisis
- Uncorrected cerebral vascular malformations
Whata are 2 fetal indications for an instrumental delivery?
- Fetal compromise
- To control after-coming head of breech (forceps)
What are 4 things to discuss with a mother when an instrumental delivery is indicated?
- Why operative delivery indicated
- Instrument chosen
- Likelihood of success
- Alternatives available (emergency CS)
What is needed before carrying out an operative delivery?
consent - verbal or written, by explaining indication
record consent
What are 3 types of complications of forceps delivery?
- Increased maternal trauma (including anal sphincter trauma)
- Rotational forceps may cause spiral tears of vagina
- Fetal injuries rare but may occur
What usually causes fetal injuries to occur with a forceps delivery?
mostly due to incorrect application of the blades
What are 4 examples of types of fetal injuries with forceps?
- Facial nerve palsy
- Skull fractures
- Orbital injury
- Intracranial haemorrhage
What type of complications is delivery with Ventouse associated with?
fetal injuries
What are 4 fetal injuries that can be caused by the use of Ventouse at delivery?
- Scalp lacerations and avulsions (rarely, alopecia in long term)
- Cephalohaematoma
- Retinal haemorrhage
- Rarely - subgaleal haemorrhage and/or intacranial haemorrhage (subgaleal = bleeding in space between skull periosteum and scalp galea aponeurosis)
What is usually meant by the use of sequential instruments for delivery?
usually forceps after a failed ventouse
What is the risk of sequential instrument use at delivery?
increased risk of fetal trauma when attempted with no signficant descent
Why is there an apparently lower CS rate with ventouse deliveries compared with forceps deliveries, but more failed ventouse deliveries?
not uncommon for ventouse to slip when head is at introitus, then delivery is completed by a lift-out forceps
What are 3 examples of types of forceps?
- Low cavity forceps (Wrigley’s)
- Mid-cavity non-rotational forceps (Neville-Barnes’, Haig Ferguson, Simpson’s)
- Mid-cavity rotational forceps (Keilland’s)
What are forceps?
blades that sit around the fetal head and allow traction to be applied along the ‘flexion point’ of the head (3cm in front of the occiput)
What are 2 broad reasons why forceps are used?
- Speed up delivery
- Slow rate of head in breech delivery
What type of forceps are shown in the image?
Low cavity forceps - Wrigley’s
How can low cavity forceps (e.g. Wrigley’s) be described?
short and light
In additional to operative vaginal deliveries, when else are low cavity forceps used?
Caesarean section
Wha type of forceps are shown in the image?
Mid-cavity non-rotational : Simpson’s
What type of forceps are shown in the image?
Mid-cavity rotational: Keillands
When are mid-cavity non-rotational forceps (e.g. Simpson’s, Neville-Barnes, Haig Ferguson) used?
- when sagittal suture is in the direct anteroposterior position (usually direct occipito-anterior DOA)
What can be done so that mid-cavity non-rotational forceps can be used when the sagittal suture is not in direct occipito-anterior position?
malposition (direct occipito-posterior DOP or direct occipito-lateral DOL) can be corrected manually between contractions and blades applies once head in DOA position
What makes mid-cavity rotational forceps (Keilland’s) able to carry out their function?
reduced pelvic curve on the blades allows rotation about the axis of the handle
What is the function of mid-cavity rotational forceps (Keilland’s)?
helps correct asynclitism (oblique malpresentation of fetal head) and malposition
Who can use Keilland’s forceps?
experienced operator only
What is meant by vacuum extraction i.e. ventouse?
works on principle of creating negative pressure to allow scalp tissues to be sucked into the cup. This creates artificial caput called a “chignon”
cup held in place by atmospheric pressure on the cup against the negative pressure created
What is a chignon?
temporary swelling left on infant’s head after ventouse suction cap used to deliver him or her
When should vacuum extraction not be used at delivery?
should not be used to <34 weeks gestation
What are 3 types of ventouse devices?
- Metal cup
- Soft cup
- Kiwi Omni cup
What type of metal cups are available for ventouse?
60, 50 or 40mm stanadard anterior or posterior (for occipito-lateral) or occipito-posterior (OP) positions
How do metal cups work to perform vacuum extraction?
pressure created by a suction pump
What is a risk of using metal cups for ventouse?
excessive traction likely to cause fetal trauma
When is it easiest to apply a soft ventouse cup?
OA positions
How do soft ventouse cups work?
mould around fetal head covering a greater surface area
What is an advantage of soft cups for vacuum extraction?
causes fewer scalp abrasions
How do Kiwi Omni cups work for vacuum extraction?
single use cups, pressure created with hand pump (quick in an emergency)
What is an advantage of Kiwi Omni Cups for extraction delivery?
allows application to flexion point in OL and OP position
What are 5 differences in outcomes between ventouse and forceps?
- Ventouse more likely to fail
- Ventouse more likely to cause fetal trauma
- cephalohaemtoma, retinal haemorrhage
- Ventouse more likely to be associated with
- Forceps are mor elikely to cause significant maternal genital tract trauma
- Slightly less CS delivery with ventouse delivery
What are 2 types of fetal trauma more likely to be caused by ventouse than forceps?
- Cephalohaematoma
- Retinal haemorrhage
What are 2 types of outcome that have no difference with forceps vs ventouse delivery?
- No difference in 5 min apgar scores
- No difference in need for neonatal phototherapy
What is the bottom line statement about ventouse vs forceps in terms of safety?
ventouse appears safer for mother but forceps may be safer for baby
What is the way of remembering the criteria to satisfy before attempting an operative vaginal delivery?
FORCEPS
What do the letters of FORCEPS stand for when remembering the criteria to satisfy for operative vaginal delivery?
- F: fully dilated cervix
- O: obstruction should be excluded (head 1/5 palpable abdominally)
- R: ruptured membranes
- Consent, catheterise bladder (in and out technique, indwelling catheters must be removed), check instrument prior to application
- E: explain procedure to patient, epidural (or pudendal) analgesia, examine genital tract to exclude genital tract trauma
- P: presentation, position of head. power - are contractions effective? Placement of forceps bladers/ventouse cap - correct? no maternal tissues should be caght
- S: station of presenting part (not above ischial spines), senior help called if needed