Complications of labour Flashcards
What are the complications of shoulder dystocia
Brachial plexus damage → Erb’s, Klumpke’s
Hypoxia / hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE)
Fracture of clavicle/humerus
Maternal post-partum haemorrhage (PPH)
Maternal complex tears: 3rd/4th degree perineal tears, lacerations, haematoma, uterine rupture
What is the epidemiology of shoulder dystocia
Affects 0.5-0.7% of births
Brachial plexus damage occurs in 4-16% of shoulder dystocia cases
Fracture occurs in 10%
PPH occurs in 11%
What are the risk factors for shoulder dystocia
Previous shoulder dystocia
Macrosomia
Gestational diabetes or DM
Narrow pelvic outlet
Short stature/high BMI
Induction of labour
Greater gestational age
What is the management for shoulder dystocia
- Sound the alert alarm and announce a shoulder dystocia
- Direct two people to place mum into McRobert’s position and ask mum to push
- Apply suprapubic pressure and attempt to deliver
- Assess for episiotomy and carry out if needed
- Posterior arm delivery
- Internal rotation manoeuvre
- Change position to all fours and repeat
- Have another operator repeat maneouvres
- Deliberate fracture of the clavicle
- Symphysiotomy
- Zavanelli
What is the post-delivery management for shoulder dystocia
Neonatal review of baby
Paired cord pH
Anticipate and prevent PPH (Observe and administer syntometrine/syntocinon)
Document
Debrief patient
Datex
Describe McRobert’s position
Woman lies flat and the hips are hyperflexed so that the thighs are as close to the abdomen as possible
Increases the AP diameter of the pelvis
Describe suprapubic pressure
Bed needs to be low enough to place adequate pressure onto the shoulders to dislodge it
Apply pressure behind the anterior foetal shoulder, downward and lateral
Attempts to abduct the anterior shoulder towards the chest by pushing on its posterior aspect
Aims to decrease the bisacromial diameter, rotating the anterior shoulder into the wider oblique angle of the pelvis
Describe posterior arm delivery
place hand into the birth canal and pull the arm through by the inferior hand. Once arm is delivered, ask mum to push and attempt delivery
Reduces the diameter of the foetal shoulders or bisacromial diameter
Describe the internal rotation manoeuvre
insert a hand over the posterior shoulder and push forward, then placing a hand on the anterior shoulder and pushing back to rotate baby
What is meconium aspiration and what is the management
Meconium is aspirated into the lungs of the foetus → severe pneumonitis
Management: thick meconium → amniofusion of saline into the uterus to dilute the meconium to reduce aspiration (rarely performed due to unknown risk to mother)
What defines delayed first stage of labour
<2cm in 4 hours for nullis
<2cm in 4 hours or slowing in the progress of labour for multis
What defines delayed second stage of labour
> 2 hours from the start of the active second stage for nullis
1 hour from the start of the active second stage for multis
What are the causes of delayed labour
Inefficient uterine action (most common)
Issues with position:
- Malposition (occiput transverse or posterior)
- Malpresentation (brow or face)
- large baby
Cephalopelvic disproportion (pelvis too small to allow the head to pass through) - more common in macrosomia, short women, high head
Describe the endocrine axis during labour
- Oestrogen from ovaries → induction of oxytocin receptors on the uterus
- Oxytocin release from foetus and maternal posterior pituitary
- Oxytocin stimulates uterine contraction
- oxytocin stimulates the placenta to produce prostaglandins → stimulates more contractions → stimulates prostaglandins (and so on)
- Positive feedback of prostaglandins on oxytocin release from PP
What should be assessed in delayed labour
Review history
Abdominal palpation (size of baby and engagement)
Frequency and duration of contractions
- The active first stage of labour should not last >16 hours
- Review foetal conditions - foetal heart rate and colour of amniotic fluid
- Review maternal condition
- Vaginal assessment - cervical effacement, dilatation, caput, moulding, position and station
What is the management for delayed first stage
- ARM
- Move to labour ward
- Syntocinon IV + CTG monitoring
What is the management for delayed second stage
- Syntocinon
- Consider instrumental birth
How often are vaginal examinations performed during labour?
Every 4 hours
How long should third stage of labour last for
<30 minutes
Describe active third stage of labour
Started if third stage >30 minutes
1. IM syntocinon/ergometrine injection (if active already planned, give with delivery of anterior shoudler)
2. Controlled cord traction
3. Manual removal: a hand in the uterus under general or spinal anaesthesia gently separates the placenta from the uterus, with the second hand on the abdomen to prevent the uterus from being pushed up
What are the types of breech presentation
Frank/extended (65-70%): legs flexed at the hip and extended at the knees with buttocks presenting
Complete/flexed (30%): hips and knees flexed, feet ticket beside the buttocks
Footling: one or both feet/knees are presenting
(Shoulder)
What is the epidemiology and prognosis for breech presentation
Incidence decreases with gestation (prem at higher risk)
3-4% pregnancies at term
Higher perinatal morbidity and mortality
Mortality risk ~ 0.5/1000 with CS and 2/1000 with planned vaginal birth
What are the risk factors for a breech baby
Previous breech birth
Premature labour
High parity
Multiple pregnancies
Polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios
Uterine abnormalities
Maternal pelvic tumours or fibroids
Placenta praevia
Hydrocephaly/anencephaly
Foetal neuromuscular disorders
Foetal head and neck tumours