High rates of trauma in births using forceps, vacuums: McMaster study

A new study from McMaster University is calling for a national strategy to address persistently high rates of maternal trauma in births using forceps and vacuums in Canada.

Data collected for the study in 2019 shows that Canada held the highest rate of maternal trauma during these births compared to other high-income countries at 16.3 per cent.

“More than 35,000 infants are born each year in Canada with the use of these instruments and maternal injuries are occurring at an alarming frequency. We are not doing a good enough job sharing information about these risks with pregnant people or putting enough effort into reducing them.” says Giulia Muraca, lead author of the study.

“We’re calling for a national response to recognize the frequency and severity of these injuries in Canada. We have neglected to address them for far too long, and we are urging the maternity care community to make a commitment to reducing them.”

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Researchers worked directly with patients who had experienced trauma with forceps and vacuum deliveries firsthand.

“If we expect these injuries to decrease by simply investing in the existing training paradigms, we run the risk of harming even more people and families, and further stigmatizing people with these injuries,” says study co-author Roxana Geoffrion.

“Efforts to change the culture around these injuries need to take precedence, including improving informed consent practices, and engendering a culture in which these injuries are acknowledged as severe, avoidable complications.”

Lead researchers of the study hope it will spark a national conversation about these injuries and the impacts that they can have on patients.

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