Birth associated trauma

ABSTRACT

To assess the incidence of birth-injuries seen at the King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA]. A retrospective analysis was carried out in 31028 consecutive deliveries between January 1986 and December 1996 at the King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, KSA. The study group was compared with a matched control group. There were 203 newborns with 208 injuries with an incidence of 6.70 per 1000 live births. The majority [55%] of the injuries was sustained during normal vaginal deliveries and the least were during cesarean section [5.2%]. The average gestational age was 39 weeks [25-44 weeks] in the study group and in the control group was 38.84 [21-44 weeks]. The birth weight in the study group was 3323 gms [780-6190] and the control group was 3015 gms [790-6015] p<0.01. The Apgar score in the study group was 7 and 9 at one and 5 minutes and in the control group was 8 and 9. There were 104 scalp injuries, 50 nerve injuries, 20 fractures [11 clavicle and 9 long bones] and 21 newborns had intracranial hemorrhage. This study demonstrates a variety of birth related trauma at the teaching institution with a lower overall incidence as compared to reports from the literature. The only significant factor was that birth weight was higher in the study group as compared to the control group [p <0.01]. It is recommended that every effort be required to further decrease the incidence of birth injuries