Salamalekis Emmanouil, Vitoratos Nikolaos, Kassanos Dimitrios, Loghis Constantine, Hintipas Elias, Salloum Ioannis, Creatsas Georgios
2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens Aretaieion Hospital, 30 Roumelis Street, 152 33 Chalandri, Athens, Greece.
Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2005 Feb;271(2):119-22. doi: 10.1007/s00404-003-0598-2. Epub 2004 Jan 27.
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of vacuum extractor assisted delivery on fetal oxygenation and acid-base balance.
Sixty-one women were enrolled in the present study. The subjects were divided into two groups. Group A, consisting of 39 women, had normal vaginal deliveries. Group B, consisting of 22 women, underwent a vacuum extractor assisted vaginal delivery. Fetal arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring was used in all women after full cervical dilatation. After delivery, umbilical artery pH, pCO2, pO2 and base deficit (BDecf) levels were determined in all neonates.
The mean FSpO2 value in Group A was 51.53+/-5.87% and in Group B 48.03+/-6.39% (p<0.03). The mean cord pH value in fetuses of Group A was 7.26+/-0.05, and in Group B 7.17+/-0.09. There was also a significant difference between the two groups with regards to mean pO2, pCO2 and BDecf values.
Vacuum assisted vaginal delivery was associated with lower fetal arterial oxygen saturation levels as well as lower cord blood pH values compared to those seen after unassisted vaginal delivery. Although decreased, however, the above parameters remained within normal ranges.
