Vacuum extraction of preterm infants with birth weights of 1,500-2,499 grams.

This study evaluated neonatal morbidity in preterm infants with birth weights of 1,500-2,499 who were delivered by vacuum extraction. The retrospective, observational study covered 61 infants delivered vaginally with vacuum extraction versus 122 matched controls delivered spontaneously. All infants were at < 37 weeks of gestation, with birth weights ranging from 1,500 to 2,499 g. Main neonatal outcomes studied were Apgar scores, umbilical artery blood pH and base excess, intraventricular hemorrhage, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit and length of hospital stay. The study population did not differ in any maternal or neonatal demographic parameter. There was a decreased need for episiotomies in the vacuum-assisted deliveries versus the controls (41% versus 57%, P = .01, odds ratio = .51, confidence interval = .27, .96). Neonatal morbidity was not significantly different in infants with vacuum-assisted deliveries. Vacuum extraction does not seem to increase neonatal morbidity in preterm infants with birth weights of 1,500-2,499 g.