How Shoulder Dystocia Causes Permanent Brachial Plexus Injuries

Shoulder dystocia during the delivery process is a medical emergency, requiring a prompt, accurate diagnosis and the appropriate treatment to prevent birth injuries, like permanent brachial plexus injury. Unfortunately, birth injuries can have lifelong adverse consequences for the injured child and their family.

The distress of welcoming a child into this world only for them to suffer a serious permanent birth injury cannot be erased by legal process, but when a brachial plexus birth injury occurred due to a medical provider’s error, parents have the right to seek answers and financial compensation through an Arizona birth injury claim. Contact a medical malpractice attorney in Phoenix to understand your legal options.

What Is Shoulder Dystocia During the Birthing Process?

Shoulder dystocia occurs when one or both of an infant’s shoulders become lodged below the laboring mother’s pubic bone during birth. According to the Cleveland Clinic, shoulder dystocia occurs in 0.6% of births when infants weigh between 5 pounds, 8 ounces and 8 pounds, 13 ounces; however, the rate increases to as much as 9% for infants weighing over 8 pounds, 13 ounces.

Shoulder dystocia most often occurs due to the infant’s size being too large for the mother’s pelvis (fetal macrosomia), but it may also happen when the baby is in the wrong position during the delivery process or due to the mother’s improper positioning during childbirth.

Signs of Shoulder Dystocia

After an infant’s head emerges from the birth canal, the attending physician or midwife gently pulls the baby’s head to deliver the body. If pulling the child’s head does not result in the appearance of the child’s shoulders within one minute of the head’s delivery, it typically means that one or both shoulders have become stuck behind the mother’s pubic bone inside the pelvis. When this occurs, the attending medical provider must make a fast diagnosis and employ the correct medical maneuvers to dislodge the child and continue the delivery. 

There are three methods of resolving shoulder dystocia. A medical provider must determine the appropriate method, using the least invasive tactic possible, for a safe delivery. When a doctor fails to accurately assess a mother’s risk of an infant with shoulder dystocia, fails to recognize the signs of shoulder dystocia, delays emergency treatment, or uses an overly aggressive or incorrect medical maneuver to address the problem, the result can be a birth injury. Brachial plexus injuries are the most common birth injury caused by shoulder dystocia.

How Does Shoulder Dystocia Cause Brachial Plexus Injuries?

When a medical provider excessively pulls on an infant’s head, neck, and shoulder during delivery due to shoulder dystocia or incorrectly performs a medical procedure to deliver a baby during shoulder dystocia, it can result in injury to the child’s brachial plexus nerve.

The brachial plexus is a complex bundle of nerves extending from the neck and shoulders down the arm to the fingers. When a doctor incorrectly responds to shoulder dystocia, this bundle of nerves stretches and overextends, causing injury ranging from partial to total paralysis and loss of sensation in the arm, hand, and fingers. This condition is known as Erb’s Palsy.

According to a medical research study, some children with mild brachial plexus injuries recover, but the most serious, permanent brachial plexus injuries in infants are those that result from the incorrect delivery of infants with shoulder dystocia.

Understanding the Impact of Preventable Brachial Plexus Birth Injuries

While a brachial plexus injury isn’t life-threatening, it can result in permanent harm, including the following consequences:

• Partial or total paralysis in one arm
• The affected arm may be shorter and thinner than the functional arm
• The child may not have the same opportunities for athletic activities as other children
• The condition causes difficulties with routine tasks that normally require using both hands
• Brachial plexus injury requires medical treatment, physical therapy, and occupational therapy to maximize the child’s quality of life

Suffering permanent injury, like paralysis in one arm due to a brachial plexus injury from shoulder dystocia, may also impact a child’s emotional well-being. Children report feelings of low self-esteem and frustration due to their physical limitations.

How Can a Birth Injury Lawyer From Knapp & Roberts Help?

A birth-injured child impacts the entire family, with financial and emotional effects throughout the child’s life. When the injury was caused by a medical provider’s malpractice, the family has the right to seek compensation for their financial damages and the child’s pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life. Call Knapp & Roberts to learn more about your options under the unique circumstances of your case.