CooperSurgical today shared that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended Fetal Pillow to be used under standard arrangements during delivery if a baby's head becomes stuck in the pelvis. NICE provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care in the United Kingdom by putting science and evidence at the heart of healthcare decision making. NICE is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.
"NICE's evidence-based guidance recognizes that there is sufficient data for the safe and effective use of Fetal Pillow. This recommendation will aid clinicians in emergent situations during the second stage of labor that require a cesarean section," said Dr. Vrunda Desai, VP of Medical Affairs, CooperSurgical. "We have seen meaningful results from the use of Fetal Pillow, including on average, a one-day reduction in length of hospital stays for the patient, as well as a 20-minute reduction in operating time for the physician."1 When asked, 97% of U.S. physicians in the study* responded that they would recommend the use of Fetal Pillow to others.
Fetal Pillow is a balloon cephalic elevation device for use in cesarean sections performed during the second stage of labor (over 37 weeks). It was created to elevate the fetal head and facilitate delivery of the fetus in women requiring a cesarean at full dilation, or those requiring a cesarean after a failed instrumental vaginal delivery. Fetal Pillow is inserted during patient preparation for a cesarean section and inflated with saline to elevate the fetal head. The device allows for a significant shift from the expected difficulty in delivering the fetal head to an actual ease of delivery.