What is "ventouse"

Ventouse \Ven"touse\, n. [F.] A cupping glass. [Obs.]
--Chaucer.

Ventouse \Ven"touse\, v. t. & i. To cup; to use a cupping glass. [Obs.] [Written also ventuse.]
--Chaucer.

n. 1 (context obsolete English) A cupping glass. 2 (context medicine English) A suction cup like device used on a baby's head to assist in difficult childbirths vb. (context obsolete English) To cup; to use a cupping glass.

Ventouse, also known as vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery or vacuum extraction (VE), is a method to assist delivery of a baby using a vacuum device. It is used in the second stage of labour if it has not progressed adequately. It may be an alternative to a forceps delivery and caesarean section. It cannot be used when the baby is in the breech position or for premature births. The use of VE is generally safe, but it can occasionally have negative effects on either the mother or the child.The term comes from the French word for "suction cup."