Birth associated trauma

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence of birth-injuries seen at the King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

METHODS: 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.

RESULTS: 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.

CONCLUSION: 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.