%0 Journal Article
%T Vacuum-assisted birth in maternal lateral posture versus lithotomy. A simulation study.
%A Cuerva MJ
%A De Santiago B
%A Cortés M
%A Lopez F
%A Espinosa JA
%A Bartha JL
%J Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol
%V 290
%N 0
%D 2023 Nov 20
%M 37742455
%F 2.831
%R 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2023.09.017
%X <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>Maternal lateral postures provide advantages during childbirth. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of assisting vacuum births in maternal lateral postures in a simulation model.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>In a simulation model, four obstetricians and four medical students were randomly allocated to perform vacuum-assisted births first in maternal lateral posture or lithotomy. A modification of Aldo Vacca's 5-step technique was developed to assist vacuum-assisted births in lateral posture. The lateral distance, vertical distance, and distance from the cup center to the flexion point were measured for every placement of the cup.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>A total of 128 vacuum-assisted births were performed. The mean distance to the flexion point was 1.15 ± 0.71 cm for the lithotomy posture and 1.31 ± 0.82 cm for the lateral posture (P = 0.127). There were no statistically significant differences in vacuum extractor cup placement accuracy based on maternal posture. Performing vacuum-assisted births in maternal lateral posture is feasible in a simulation model. The technique is easy to learn, and the differences in cup placement between the lateral and lithotomy postures are small.