Utah Medical Malpractice Lawyers Assist Shoulder Dystocia and Erb's Palsy Patients

Shoulder dystocia is a relatively common complication experienced during childbirth. It occurs when the infant's shoulder's become impacted behind the mother's pelvic wall. Shoulder dystocia is usually encountered with large babies weighing in excess of 4,500 grams (fetal macrosomia), but that is not always the case. Other predictors of possible shoulder dystocia are significant maternal weight gain and gestational diabetes.

Most obstetricians can predict whether a delivery presents a risk of shoulder dystocia, and can take a number of precautions--including cesarean delivery--to avoid it.

In some cases, however, shoulder dystocia cannot be predicted. Doctors and nurses that encounter this condition can employ a variety of techniques to help avoid serious injuries, such as the McRoberts maneuver, application of suprapubic pressure, or something known as the "corkscrew" maneuver.

Unfortunately, in some cases, physicians or medical staff have not been properly trained in these procedures. Other times, doctors might rush to use an instrument such as a vacuum extractor or forceps to help extract the infant.  Such inappropriate actions often result in injury to the brachial plexus nerves in the infant's neck. These injuries can range from strain, which may heal over time, to complete avulsion. Depending on the severity of the injury to the brachial plexus nerves, a child may develop a condition known as Erb's Palsy.

Erb's Palsy can result in a crippling disability to a child's upper extremity. While some surgical procedures can increased the range of motion, many children never regain full use of their arms. Though children suffering from Erb's Palsy can be happy and confident, simple tasks such as eating with utensils and putting on socks serve as frustrating reminders that they are different from their playmates.