Forceps or vacuum extraction: a comparison of maternal and neonatal morbidity

To compare maternal and neonatal morbidity associated with forceps and vacuum delivery, data on 150 women delivered by forceps and 420 delivered by vacuum extraction between 1995 and 1999 at Queen Ala Hospital, Jordan were compared. Data included parity, gestational age, infant birthweight, Apgar score, presentation and station of fetal head, indications for forceps and vacuum deliveries, delivery success rate, and maternal and neonatal morbidity. Maternal birth canal and genital tract lacerations were significantly more common in forceps delivery, and there was significantly increased morbidity in infants delivered by vacuum extraction (caput, jaundice, cephalohaematoma). Serous neonatal morbidity was rare for both groups.