title: Delivery in an obstetric birth chair: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether nulliparae whose second stage of labour is conducted in an obstetric birth chair have a lower incidence of instrumental delivery than those using a conventional delivery bed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial using sealed, opaque envelopes for allocation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Delivery ward in a busy teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  1250 nulliparae with a singleton live fetus with cephalic presentation, without epidural anaesthesia, who had achieved full dilatation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Intention to conduct second and third stages of labour in either the Birth-EZ chair or the conventional delivery bed, as randomly allocated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary measure: vaginal operative delivery; principal secondary measures: duration of second stage, perineal trauma, blood loss, women's views, and neonatal status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Delivery in the birth chair did not result in a reduction in operative delivery, overall. However, there was a reduction in vaginal operative delivery for fetal heart rate abnormality. There was no beneficial effect on perineal trauma or puerperal perineal pain. Post-partum haemorrhage was more frequent in the birth chair group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Delivery in the birth chair does not offer any obvious advantage to women over delivery on a bed.
authors.affiliation: Coombe Lying-In Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elbourne
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ashurst
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Duignan
mesh_terms: D003258:Consumer Behavior; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007748:Labor Stage, Second; D007749:Labor Stage, Third; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000209:etiology; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis