Abstract
Objective
To investigate the effect of unique skill of perineum protection in forceps delivery on the maternal and neonatal morbidity.
Methods
A case-control study was conducted. Singleton pregnancies with forceps-assisted and normal vaginal deliveries were recruited. The maternal and neonatal complications were compared between forceps and normal deliveries.
Results
Five hundred forty participants were included. The prevalence of maternal anal sphincter injury, postpartum hemorrhage, vaginal hematoma, cervical laceration, perineal wound infection, perineal wound dehiscence, dyspareunia, urinary incontinence, and anal incontinence were not significantly different between forceps and normal deliveries (p > .05). However, the rate of neonatal facial injury was higher in the forceps group (2.9% versus 0, p = .004).
Conclusions
Cooperation according to the tension of perineum and labor process between obstetrician and midwife is important for perineum protection. Forceps-assisted delivery concentrating on perineum protection is an effective alternative in decreasing maternal morbidity.
Acknowledgments
We thank Jing Tan for the guidance of statistical calculation, Jian Wang for the English revision.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Data availability
The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.