Abdominal decompression is an obstetric procedure during which a negative pressure is applied intermittently to a pregnant woman's abdomen.
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Efficacy
A Cochrane review of found no benefits of abdominal decompression in healthy pregnant women with respect to high blood pressure in the mother nor the newborn baby's condition and subsequent intellectual development. It does, however, appear to have a beneficial effect in certain conditions, such as less fetal distress during labour and fewer low 1-minute Apgar scores for infants of women with pre-eclampsia, essential hypertension or chronic nephritis. There also appears to be a large improvement in birthweight and perinatal survival in women carrying babies that are small for their gestational age. Overall, however, there is insufficient evidence for clinical use of abdominal decompression.
Technique
Abdominal decompression consists of placing a rigid covered dome around the abdomen, with the inside being decompressed to -50 to -100 mmHg for 15 to 30 seconds out of each minute for 30 minutes, one to three times daily, or continuously during labour.