An appraisal of vent house vacuum delivery

A retrospective analysis of Ventouse deliveries over a 10 year period at St. Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha, Nigeria is presented. Between January 1991 and December 2000, 15802 deliveries were conducted, 572 were Ventouse deliveries, giving a Ventouse rate of 3.6%. The age range of the patients was 17-44 years, with a mean age of 28.2+ 5.5 years. The commonest indication for Ventouse delivery was prolonged second stage of labour 34.9% (195), followed by cephalopelvic disproportion in 10.6% (59), while the least indication was brow presentation in second stage of labour 1.3% (7). The maternal morbidity was mainly vaginal tear/laceration that occurred in 2.2% (12) of the patients. The success rate of Ventouse delivery was 91.6% (511). The corrected perinatal death rate was 9/1000 deliveries. Ventouse has a high success rate in prolonged second stage of labour, in first stage of labour and in fetal mal-positions. With the decline in the use of obstetric forceps and its teaching in most health institutions, ventouse becomes the instrument of first choice when assisted vaginal delivery is considered. Nigerian Journal of surgical sciences Vol. 16 (2) 2006: pp. 72-75