Methods and apparatus for preventing vaginal lacerations during childbirth

Abstract

A vaginal dilation device is provided that may include any of a number of features. One feature of the vaginal dilation device is that it is configured to dilate vaginal tissue during labor to prevent tissue damage. Another feature of the vaginal dilation device is that it can be manually controlled to dilate vaginal tissue, or can be automatically controlled to dilate vaginal tissue. In some embodiments, the vaginal dilation device is configured to measure a force applied by the device to tissue. In other embodiments, the vaginal dilation device is configured to apply a constant force to tissue. In other embodiments, the vaginal dilation device is configured to expand at a constant rate. Methods associated with use of the vaginal dilation device are also provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vaginal dilation device, comprising:
 a handle;   a plurality of arms coupled to the handle, each arm having a pad disposed thereon that is shaped and configured to conform to a vagina;   an expansion mechanism coupled to the arms and configured to move the arms and the pads radially outwards from the device; and   an assembly configured to expand the expansion mechanism by a preset dilation increment.   
     
     
         2 . The vaginal dilation device of  claim 1 , wherein the assembly expands the expansion mechanism by the preset dilation increment with a single actuation. 
     
     
         3 . The vaginal dilation device of  claim 1 , wherein the preset dilation increment is user adjustable. 
     
     
         4 . The vaginal dilation device of  claim 2 , wherein the preset dilation increment comprises 0-1 cm per actuation. 
     
     
         5 . The vaginal dilation device of  claim 2 , wherein the preset dilation increment comprises 0-2 cm per actuation. 
     
     
         6 . The vaginal dilation device of  claim 1 , wherein an outer diameter of the pads in a closed configuration is less than 4 cm. 
     
     
         7 . The vaginal dilation device of  claim 1  further comprising an oscillation mechanism. 
     
     
         8 . The vaginal dilation device of  claim 1 , wherein the assembly comprises a trigger assembly. 
     
     
         9 . The vaginal dilation device of  claim 1 , further comprising a force sensor configured to measure a force applied against the pads. 
     
     
         10 . The vaginal dilation device of  claim 1 , further comprising a diameter sensor configured to indicate a dilation diameter of the vagina.