The procedure of pulling on the head of the baby with a suction instrument to aid birth.
In childbirth, use of a suction cup placed on a baby’s head and attached to a machine called a vacuum extractor, or ventouse, to help ease delivery, with the suction timed to the contractions of the uterus. Vacuum extraction is used in cases of fetal distress especially early in the delivery or when the mother is unable to push out the baby on her own as an alternative to forceps delivery. The baby generally has temporary swelling of the scalp following birth. The same kind of machine is also used to perform some kinds of abortion, the process then being called menstrual extraction.
A procedure that uses suction to pull a baby down the birth canal during a vaginal delivery that is difficult or prolonged. A metal or plastic cap is attached to the baby’s scalp and connected to a vacuum pump. Vacuum extraction is used instead of a forceps delivery if the mother is exhausted or has a heart condition, or when the baby begins to show signs of distress. Vacuum extraction requires less pain medication than forceps delivery and may not require episiotomy, an incision in the opening of the vagina. If vacuum extraction is used, the baby’s scalp may swell briefly, and there is some risk that the mother’s vagina and cervix may be injured by the procedure.
A medical technique used in childbirth, vacuum extraction assists in the delivery of a baby. This method may be employed when the second phase of labor is extended, the mother is fatigued, or there are signs of distress in the fetus.
The vacuum extraction device is made up of a suction cup that is linked to a vacuum container. This suction cup is positioned on the infant’s head while it’s in the birth canal. The vacuum mechanism then pulls the baby’s scalp into the cup. During each uterine contraction, the obstetrician gently tugs on the cup to assist in delivering the baby through the mother’s vaginal passage.
The infant may have a swollen scalp at birth, but this usually subsides on its own within a few days without requiring medical intervention. Vacuum suction methods are also employed for early-stage abortion procedures.