Title
Development of a Vacuum Extraction System for Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Redesign of a state-of-the-art vacuum extractor
Author
Bakker, Christiaan (TU Delft Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering)
Contributor
Dankelman, J. (mentor) 
Nolens, Barbara (mentor)
De Fouw, Marlieke (mentor)
Diehl, J.C. (graduation committee)
Horeman, T. (graduation committee)
Degree granting institution
Delft University of Technology
Programme
Biomedical Engineering
Date
2021-06-17
Abstract
Vacuum extraction is a form of assisted vaginal birth where a vacuum cup is attached onto the fetal head by means of suction on which traction force is then exerted to facilitate birth. Vacuum extraction is often regarded as a safer option than the cesarean section and forceps delivery, due to decreased risk of maternal en fetal complications. The increase in popularity of handheld disposable vacuum extractors in low-resource clinical settings demonstrate the need for more ergonomic vacuum extraction solutions geared towards LMICs. In this report an ergonomic and affordable vacuum extraction system is developed by reinventing the pump mechanism of an existing vacuum extractor. Two types of manual pumping mechanisms more suitable with cleaning are explored and tested on their ability to create partial vacuum. One of which is able to reach the required partial vacuum of 0.08 MPa (0.02 MPa pressure) and poses as most promising for implementation. From this, a final prototype is developed and evaluated on usability in a modern clinical setting. The result of the functional validation and usability evaluation show that this pump mechanism can successfully be integrated in a vacuum extraction system to create a more affordability and convenient vacuum extraction system that may make vacuum extraction more accessible in LMICs.
Subject
Vacuum Extraction
Vacuum Extraction Systems
Assisted Vaginal Birth
Instrumental delivery
Reusable
Medical Instruments
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a665839d-54e7-42c9-b2b0-ca61ce912ccc
Embargo date
2026-06-17
Part of collection
Student theses
Document type
master thesis
Rights
© 2021 Christiaan Bakker