A vacuum-assisted delivery is a birth in which the infant is helped out of the birth canal by use of a vacuum-type device, which usually consists of a pump and a metal or flexible cup. The cup is placed on the baby’s head and a vacuum is created to help pull the baby out of the birth canal in cases where the mother cannot push the baby out on her own. However, since vacuum-assisted birth devices can increase the risk of birth injuries, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently advised physicians and hospitals to take care when using these devices.
Some of the birth injuries that a baby is more likely to experience in a vacuum-assisted delivery include:
Subgaleal hematoma may occur if the vacuum-assisted device pulls too hard at the top of the baby’s head, allowing blood to collect between the skull and the “galea aponeurotica,” or the muscles, tissue, and skin that cover the top of the skull. Severe damage may lead to life-threatening internal bleeding.
Intracranial hemorrhage occurs when bleeding happens inside the skull, often in the brain or between the skull and the brain. If not corrected, intracranial hemorrhage can cause nerve damage, mental or neurological dysfunction, or death.
Nerve damage leading to cerebral palsy, facial nerve palsy, or other conditions that affect a child’s ability to properly move certain muscles. Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition that can affect a child’s entire body or certain parts of it, and the motor skill loss and other problems can range from mild to severe. Facial nerve palsy is damage to the seventh intracranial nerve, which impairs a child’s ability to work the muscles in the face properly.
Vacuum-assisted delivery techniques can save lives; however, when not used with care, they can also cause severe birth injuries. If your child has suffered a birth injury, the experienced Tennessee birth injury attorneys at Massey & Associates, P.C. can help. For a free and confidential consultation, call us today at (423) 396-0720.
Gary Massey, Jr., is a well-known courtroom advocate practicing law in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gary is a native of Tennessee who began practicing law in 1998. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law where he was ranked in the top 3% of his class and was an editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
