[Obstetric spoons (author's transl)].

The article describes "obstetric spoons" which are easy to apply and which can be used as well as the forceps and the vacuum extractor for vaginal-operative termination of labor. These spoons offer the following advantages: They are an effective and relatively harmless instrument which can be applied rapidly and easily even by those who are less skilled. During extraction, the spoons are only slightly pressed onto the head of the child by the operator's hands; the additional pressure required is exercised by the soft parts of the mother. It is hardly critical if the spoons are not applied exactly in transverse diameter. If the traction force applied is too strong, they separate and slide over the head without exercising any further pressure. This counteracts any possible overforceful extraction. The spoons can also be applied simultaneously in combination with vacuum extraction and girdle expression, which renders even complicated vaginal surgical procedures from the mid-pelvic plane relatively harmless with regard to the strain exercised on the child.