Odón device is a

medical device A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...

that assists during a difficult birth. The device consists of a plastic sleeve that is inflated around the baby's head and is used to gently pull and ease the head of the infant through the

birth canal In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen. ...

.McNeil, Donald G, Jr
"Car Mechanic Dreams Up a Tool to Ease Births"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', November 13, 2013. Accessed November 14, 2013.

Need

Worldwide, more than 13 million births each year face serious complications, and every day about 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth (about 300,000 annually). The use of forceps and other mechanical devices in the extraction of a baby in a difficult delivery can cause internal bleeding in the mother or may result in injuries to the baby's head or spine. The Odón device has the potential to allow for

vaginal delivery A vaginal delivery is the birth of offspring in mammals (baby, babies in humans) through the vagina (also called the "birth canal"). It is the most common method of childbirth worldwide. It is considered the preferred method of delivery, with l ...

in complicated pregnancies in which common medical practice would have led to a

cesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or mo ...

, the use of forceps to extract the newborn or the use of a

ventouse Vacuum extraction (VE), also known as ventouse, is a method to assist delivery of a baby using a vacuum device. It is used in the second stage of labor if it has not progressed adequately. It may be an alternative to a forceps delivery and cae ...

vacuum device that attaches suction cups directly to the baby's scalp. By reducing contact between the baby's skull and the birth canal, the risk of infection is also reduced.

Conception

The device was developed by Jorge Odón, a car mechanic from

Lanús Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area. The city has a population of 212,152 (), and the Partido de Lan� ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

who had seen a video describing a method to extract a loose cork from inside an empty wine bottle by inserting a plastic bag into the bottle, inflating the bag once it has enveloped the cork and then pulling out the inflated bag together with the cork. Odón conceived of the use of this same technique that evening in bed and spoke with an obstetrician who encouraged him to move ahead with the idea. The first model of the device was created by sewing a sleeve onto a cloth bag and was tested using a doll inserted into a glass jar to simulate the use of the device in the delivery process. In complicated deliveries, the device is positioned against the baby's scalp and the lubricated sleeve is gently inserted around the baby's head. Once a marker on the device indicates that it has been positioned properly, the inner compartment of the sleeve is inflated, providing a strong grip on the baby's head. The inserter is taken away and the sleeve can be pulled with up to of force to pull out the head and allow for delivery of the baby.

Testing and development

After further testing, Odón was introduced to the chief of obstetrics at a hospital in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

who saw the benefit of the method and arranged to have the device tested more thoroughly at an Iowa laboratory that has simulators designed to model delivery methods more realistically. Safety testing had been performed on 20 women in Argentina, all of whom had previously given birth and were experiencing uncomplicated pregnancies, including a woman who was able to deliver a baby weighing with only two pushes. Further testing will be conducted on more than 250 women in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, with a mix of pregnant women experiencing normal and complicated labor.

Becton Dickinson Becton, Dickinson and Company, also known as BD, is an American multinational medical technology company that manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems, and reagents. BD also provides consulting and analytics services in certai ...

has agreed to manufacture and distribute the unit, and estimates that the Odón device could be constructed for $50 per unit, and it is expected that it could be used by

midwives A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; con ...

as well as

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

s who would need minimal training to use the device effectively. The

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO) offered favorable notices regarding the device, which was recognized for its "potential to save the lives of mothers and newborns at the time of birth".New, low-cost instrument for assisted vaginal delivery

. Accessed November 14, 2013. The WHO's Dr. Mario Merialdi called the device "exciting", saying that childbirth is an area that has had little recent progress. Dr.

Margaret Chan Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, (born 21 August 1947) is a Chinese-Canadian physician, who served as the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) delegating the People's Republic of China from 2006–2017. Chan previously served a ...

, Director-General of the WHO, described the device as "a low-cost simplified way to deliver babies, and protect mothers

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

promises to transfer life-saving capacity to rural health posts, which almost never have the facilities and staff to perform a C-section sthe first simple new tool for assisted delivery since forceps and vacuum extractors were introduced centuries ago.""The WHO Director-General highlights World Health Organization work in her speech to the 65 World Health Assembly"
, Odón Device. Accessed November 14, 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odon device Argentine inventions Equipment used in childbirth Medical equipment Obstetrical procedures