About vela® vacuum extractor
Vacuum extraction, also known as “ventouse”, is a method to assist vaginal birth using a vacuum device (ventouse device). During vacuum extraction, a cup is placed on the baby’s head. The healthcare provider creates a vacuum, resulting in the cup temporarily attaching to the baby’s head. This enables the healthcare provider to pull along with the mother’s contractions and to help guide the baby through the birth canal.
Vacuum extraction is used to expedite vaginal birth for either maternal or foetal indication. Indications for vacuum extraction include the prolonged second stage of labour, maternal exhaustion, a non-reassuring foetal heart rate tracing, or the need to shorten the second stage of labour due to particular maternal conditions such as cardiovascular or neurological disease.
The use of vacuum extraction prevents mothers from having a caesarean section (CS). It has a couple of advantages over CS:
Recovery time after vacuum extraction is usually similar to the recovery time of normal vaginal birth and much shorter than the recovery time for CS.
