Routine lateral episiotomy in vacuum-assisted delivery halves OASI risk, doctors find
The researchers say previous RCTs were too small to show benefits.
Recommending lateral episiotomy for nulliparous women requiring vacuum extraction could reduce the risk of obstetric anal sphincter injury by more than 50%, a real-world study suggests.
While episiotomy led to more wound infections, Swedish researchers found no difference in rates of postpartum pain, blood loss or neonatal outcomes between those with and without the procedure.
