Apparatus to protect the pelvic floor during vaginal childbirth

摘要

An apparatus to protect the tissues, muscles and nerves of the female pelvic floor from trauma during vaginal childbirth, the apparatus having a softly expansible intravaginal component capable of insertion into a vaginal canal and under a fetal head while in either a folded or rolled up configuration and to unfold or unroll into a deployed configuration in the vaginal canal and under the fetal head, and a support component with a handle capable of attachment to the intravaginal component, of deploying and inflating the intravaginal, preferably with pressurized air or liquid, and further sized and shaped to provide support and stabilization to at least one from among a perineal, perianal, and anal region when maintained against a female perineal body and perianal region while attached to the intravaginal device that is deployed beneath the fetal head within the vaginal canal, or, in cases of obstructed vaginal childbirth, being subsequently detached, temporarily leaving in situ within the vagina the deployed, inflated intravaginal component for the purpose of preventing or mitigating the subsequent development of abnormal fistulous communications between the vagina and either the urinary bladder or the rectum or both.