Development of a Vacuum Extraction System for Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

Vacuum extraction is a form of assisted vaginal birth where a vacuum cup is attached onto the fetal head by means of suction on which traction force is then exerted to facilitate birth. Vacuum extraction is often regarded as a safer option than the cesarean section and forceps delivery, due to decreased risk of maternal en fetal complications. The increase in popularity of handheld disposable vacuum extractors in low-resource clinical settings demonstrate the need for more ergonomic vacuum extraction solutions geared towards LMICs. In this report an ergonomic and affordable vacuum extraction system is developed by reinventing the pump mechanism of an existing vacuum extractor. Two types of manual pumping mechanisms more suitable with cleaning are explored and tested on their ability to create partial vacuum. One of which is able to reach the required partial vacuum of 0.08 MPa (0.02 MPa pressure) and poses as most promising for implementation. From this, a final prototype is developed and evaluated on usability in a modern clinical setting. The result of the functional validation and usability evaluation show that this pump mechanism can successfully be integrated in a vacuum extraction system to create a more affordability and convenient vacuum extraction system that may make vacuum extraction more accessible in LMICs.