Shoulder Dystocia

Washington, D.C., Virginia, & Maryland

There may be no greater joy than the birth of a healthy baby to excited parents. However, that joy can quickly turn to horror if the baby is injured during delivery and is born with complications. Shoulder dystocia is an obstetrical complication that occurs in thousands of deliveries in the United States each year. Shoulder dystocia can cause significant lifelong injury to the baby and is both a nightmare for the parents and the obstetrician delivering the baby. The attorneys at Chaikin Sherman Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. have represented many families in this type of medical malpractice case, and we may be able to help you, too.

What is Shoulder Dystocia?

During an otherwise normal delivery, just after the infant's head emerges, the neck will suddenly retract against the mother's perineum causing the baby's cheeks to puff out. When this happens, the obstetrician knows immediately that the baby's shoulder is caught on the mother's pubic bone. If the shoulder is not freed within a few minutes, the baby will suffer irreversible brain damage or death. This horrific scenario occurs in approximately one half of 1% of all deliveries. With 4 million babies born each year in the United States, this complication will be experienced by approximately 20,000 women annually. And the larger the infant, the more likely it is that shoulder dystocia will occur. Shoulder dystocia cannot be predicted before the time of the delivery.

Results of Shoulder Dystocia

One of the most common and serious complications following shoulder dystocia is a baby born with a brachial plexus injury. The brachial plexus is the bundle of nerves in a baby's neck that controls the function of the arms and hands. Injury to the upper part of this bundle of nerves is referred to as Erb's palsy while injury to the lower bundle of nerves is called Klumpke's palsy. Both of these conditions can cause serious lifelong disability. Following shoulder dystocia deliveries, 20% of the babies will suffer some sort of injury, either permanent or temporary.

In addition to the palsies, some other injuries that may occur with shoulder dystocia are:

Fractured clavicles
Fractured humerus
Contusions
Lacerations
Asphyxia

Treatment of Shoulder Dystocia Injuries

The majority of brachial plexus injuries will resolve over the course of several months to a year. But for those cases where the injuries do not spontaneously resolve, there are two modes of treatment. The first treatment mode, physical therapy, can help to strengthen muscles that are only partially affected and to improve range of motion. Secondly, treatment may come in the form of nerve grafting or muscle transposition. Orthopedic and neuro surgeons report varying degrees of improvement in the babies they treated.

If your baby was injured during childbirth and now suffers a disability, please contact the birth injury attorneys at Chaikin Sherman Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Additional information Shoulder Dystocia from Wikipedia

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Shoulder Dystocia

Washington, D.C., Virginia, & Maryland