Healthcare Providers

Childbirth was made safer for more than 2,500 women in 2019-20 thanks to the use of the EpiScissors-60 device which reduces the risk of obstetric injury during childbirth.

Over 7,000 women in our region have benefitted from this device since our work to champion its use began in 2017. 

Eight active sites in our region have used the product. We expect uptake to continue increasing and are supporting trusts to make reimbursement claims under the continued Innovation Technology Tariff funding.

A mother’s life can be severely affected if she is among the 30,000 UK women a year who suffer obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) during childbirth. Many cases are caused by a misjudgement of the angle of surgical cuts during childbirth – and result in direct annual costs to the NHS of £55 million.

The costs are ultimately far higher as OASIS is a major cause of associated complications that result in significant discomfort and long-term health consequences for patients as well as being a source of extensive compensation claims for the NHS.

The use of EpiScissors-60 during the procedure means that the angle of surgical cuts is easier for clinicians to assess and leads to safer care.