subject: Child Birth Injury Among Women and Newborns by:Nemelou Despuez [print this page] In a recent study conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the cases of child birth injuries for the past years were continuously declining due to some medical breakthroughs and improvements on the healthcare system.
Mothers at risk
The AHRQ recently released a data from 1,000 hospitals across the US and found out that more than 157,000 child birth injuries could have been prevented. The most common of these preventable injuries was the tearing of the tissue between vagina and rectum. While repairing the damaged tissue is not complicated, some doctors had failed to fix it perfectly that the vagina's passage and rectum's became connected, causing serious complications.
The group also found out that instruments such as forceps put mothers at higher risk of vaginal tears. However, the rate of this injury between 2000 and 2006 has declined by 20 percent or from 2,040 to 1,605 for every 10,000 childbirths. Furthermore, the incidents of tears in deliveries where no instrument was used also fell by 30 percent or from 517 to 362 for every 10,000 deliveries.
The study also found a surprising result: women from wealthy households were 44 percent more likely to have vaginal injuries compared to mothers from low-income families.
The researchers said that mothers from low-income households were prone to premature births. Since babies who are born prematurely are smaller, vaginal tears were rare. However, early deliveries make newborns vulnerable to infections, complications, and other illnesses because of their weak immunity.
Injuries Among Babies
The researchers believe that some factors can determine the likelihood of injuries in child birth. For example, white babies are more vulnerable to injuries compared to ethnic groups such as African-American and Hispanic.
Male infants have also been found to be more vulnerable to injuries compared to female babies. According to data, 17 were injured for every 10,000 newborn boys compared to 15 injured baby girls.
Most Common Injuries for Babies
According to government data, the most common injury among babies is clavicle (or collarbone) fracture. However, most cases of this injury were not considered serious as babies' bones can quickly heal.
Another common child birth injures are hip dislocation and broken thigh bone which happen when the leg is twisted during delivery. To treat this condition, doctors use Pavlik harness which is a strap fastened around the legs and supported by shoulder and chest. Usually, this strap is worn for four weeks.
In some deliveries, brachial plexus, a group of nerves located from the neck and arm, may be injured. This condition happens when the baby's head and arm is pulled in two opposite direction. While the nerves can heal itself, a surgery is highly recommended if the condition does not improve within three to six months.
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