Comparison of outcomes at full-dilation cesarean section with and without the use of a fetal pillow device

Objective To identify whether use of the fetal pillow device resulted in a reduction in intraoperative complications, such as uterine incision extension, requirement for breech extraction, etc. Other maternal outcomes (duration of hospital stay, requirement for blood transfusion, and requirement for return to hospital or operating theatre) were also reviewed. Neonatal outcomes of APGAR-5, arterial pH, and requirement for intensive care admission were assessed. Methods A retrospective cohort analysis was completed for fully dilated cesarean deliveries completed between January 2014 and December 2018 at Ipswich Hospital, Australia. In total, 174 patient records were identified (114 with pillow, 60 without). Logistic and linear regressions were used to assess the outcomes associated with fetal pillow use. Results There were no significant differences in operative complications between the pillow and no-pillow groups (odds ratio [OR] 0.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26-1.22, P=0.146). Linear regression analysis showed a decrease in hospital length of stay (hours) (-9.4, 95% CI -17.80 to -0.99, P=0.029) and a higher neonatal arterial pH at delivery (0.06, 95% CI 0.03-0.09, P=0.0001) in the pillow group. Conclusion At full dilation cesarean, operative complications are not increased when employing the fetal pillow with maternal benefits of decreased hospitalization.