The procedure should also be stopped if there is any evidence of fetal scalp trauma. 8 Maternal and Fetal Complications Maternal complications associated with vacuum extraction are comparable to those associated with spontaneous deliveries. Complications do not vary with the type of vacuum extractor used. 1,3 Subgaleal hemorrhage should be suspected in infants delivered by vacuum extraction who have a boggy scalp, swelling crossing the suture lines and an expanding head circumference. These infants may also have signs of hypovolemia, pallor, tachycardia and a falling hematocrit.
Subgaleal hemorrhage is a serious neonatal complication of vacuum extraction.
This complication occurred in 1.0 to 3.8 percent of vacuum extractions in one series but has been much less common in more recent studies. Infants with subgaleal hemorrhage present with a boggy scalp, swelling crossing the suture lines and an expanding head circumference. They may also have signs of hypovolemia, pallor, tachycardia and a falling hematocrit. Cephalohematoma is another fetal complication of vacuum extraction. Yet, the comparative rate of intracranial hemorrhage is not statistically different when vacuum extraction, forceps delivery and cesarean section during labor are compared.