Bone injuries during delivery

Abstract

Bone injuries during the process of delivery were studied among 34, 946 live born babies over a 11 period. There were 35 cases of bone injuries giving an incidence of 1 per 1,000 live births. Clavicle was the commonest bone fractured (45.7%) followed by humerus (20%), femur (14.3%) and depressed skull fracture (11.4%) in the order of frequency. There was one case each of orbital fracture, epiphyseal separation of lower end of femur and dislocation of elbow joint. Lack of antenatal care, malpresentation often leading to obstructed labour and operative deliveries were found to be risk factors for bone injuries. Meconium stained liquor and birth asphyxia were more commonly associated with bone injuries than control cases. Cases with injuries had longer hospital stay and higher mortality. Improving the health infrastructure at the peripheral level with early identification of high risk mothers and their appropriate management can bring down the incidence of bone injuries.

Fracture humerus during caesarean section: a case report

“…In study by Bhatt Clavicular fracture was found to be commonest followed by humerus. 2 Difficulty encountered in the delivery of the shoulders in cephalic deliveries and of extended arms in breech deliveries often produces such fractures. Humeral fractures are often of the greenstick type, although complete fracture with overriding bones may occur.…”

Birth-related mid-posterior rib fractures in neonates: a report of three cases (and a possible fourth case) and a review of the literature

“…As not all neonates with fractures, such as a fracture of the clavicle, will be admitted to a hospital, this is an underestimation of the true incidence of neonatal fractures. Data from five studies on birth trauma, yielding data on a total of 115,756 live births, showed no cases of rib fractures [24][25][26][27][28]. There have, however, been sporadic reports on rib fractures in neonates after birth in the medical literature (Table 1) [4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12].…”

Initial Assessment and Management of the Newborn

“…25 Most fractures occur at the proximal third of the humerus and are transverse and complete. Infants with humeral fractures present with decreased movement of the affected arm, decreased Moro reflex, localized swelling, and an increased pain response on palpation.…”