THE LABOR ASSISTER SYSTEM™ Automated System to Facilitate Normal Vaginal Delivery

THE LABOR ASSISTER SYSTEM™ Automated System to Facilitate Normal Vaginal Delivery

  Childbirth is one of the most painful and exhausting biological processes. Over the years, methods have been developed to "improve" on the natural processes, facilitating labor and delivery in general as well as for pregnancies with special circumstances. A common example is epidural analgesia, which provides significant pain reduction. The application of manually applied abdomen massage (fundal pressure) is common, but its efficacy and safety have been questioned. In the present paper, we describe the Labor Assister, an automated system that augments secondary force with an inflatable belt. The system detects uterine contractions and simultaneously applies pneumatic pressure to the abdomen. A clinical trial measuring intrauterine pressures under various conditions was conducted for comparison. The results showed that the area under the curve during belt inflation (1777±301 ㎜Hgㆍsec) is comparable with that of voluntary maternal pushing (1945 ± 537 ㎜Hgㆍsec). In addition, the results of preliminary clinical trials were promising, demonstrating significant reduction of the delivery time and the rate of instrumental delivery. Labor Assister applies secondary force in a safe and controlled manner compared with fundal pressure.