Forceps

Generality

The forceps is an obstetric instrument similar to a forceps in the shape of a double spoon, used to extract the head of the unborn child from the vagina by taking it by the head.

Due to the possible complications that can derive from the improper use of forceps, for several years now its use has been bound to completely exceptional circumstances and largely replaced by caesarean section.

History of the forceps

The history of the forceps is veiled by an aura of fictionalized legend, which begins around 1570 with the two obstetrician brothers Chamberlen, in particular with Peter Chamberlen, to whom the discovery is attributed. In those days, the English and French nobles used to have their wives assisted by a doctor during childbirth; thus began to emerge the first specialized medical figures, handsomely rewarded for their services. Among these obstetricians there was Chamberlen, who - very jealous of his own invention - carried the forceps well hidden in a suitcase, even going so far as to bandage the assistants during its use.

The secret continued to be jealously protected by the Chamberlen family for nearly a century, when the decision was made to sell the patent. The use of this instrument, fueled by the fame and mystery surrounding Chamberlen's successes, quickly took hold, supplanting the centuries-old experience of midwives in favor of male doctors.

Side effects

The massive use of forceps has produced numerous cases of complications and injuries of the vagina, bladder and the disjunction of the pubic bones of the pregnant woman. However, the most serious risks of complications are borne by the fetus and are linked to the compression of the head by the instrument; if this pressure is excessive, it can in fact cause irreversible brain damage, fractures of the cranial and facial bones, spinal injuries and facial paralysis (due to facial nerve injury).

Even if in expert hands the risk is quite low, for several years now the use of forceps has been largely replaced by the obstetric suction cup, considered safer; this instrument consists of a suction pump connected to a suction cup, which is introduced into the vagina and Furthermore, the progressive decline of the forceps was accompanied by a parallel increase in caesarean sections, which - like the suction cup - are not free from possible complications.