Interpretation of 2018 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Practice Bulletin: Prevention and management of obstetric lacerations at vaginal delivery

Lacerations are common after vaginal birth. Although most obstetric lacerations ended with good outcomes, those severe ones are associated with increased risk of several short- and long-term problems, including pelvic floor injury, fecal or urinary incontinence, postpartum pain, and sexual dysfunction. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published a practice bulletin about the prevention and management of obstetric lacerations at vaginal delivery in 2018, providing an evidence-based comprehensive guideline for prevention, identification, and repair of obstetric lacerations and episiotomy. This article presented the essence of the guideline in order to improve the awareness of the new strategies of prevention and management of obstetric lacerations among gynecologists and obstetricians. Key words: Obstetrics; Laceration, perineum; Guideline