Delivery factors for brachial plexus palsy by newborns

Brachial plexus injuries represent a low percentage of delivery complications. Most newborns fully recover from the injury, very few retain a permanent neurological deficit whereas some remain unnoticed. An objective of tills Study was to establish delivery factors for brachial plexus palsy at the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics and relation between the deficits with length of delivery, the length of delivery periods, induction of delivery and surgical interventions at delivery. The analysed group involved 90 newborn babies with all injury of brachial plexus made at the delivery in the period between 01.01.1996 and 31.12.2005. The controlled group included 90 newborns randomly selected. The comparison was made using all chi(2) test. The incidence of injuries of plexus brachialis was 1.72 per 1,000 newborns. Analysing the length of delivery there was no difference found between the analysed and controlled group (p > 0.05). In the group of newborns with the Injury of brachial plexus It was found that the second delivery period was significantly shorter (p < 0.01). In the analysed group 89 (98.8%) newborn babies were delivered vaginally and one (1.2%) was delivered by the cesarean section. 13 newborns (14.4%) from the analysed group were delivered with application of vacuum extractor and in the controlled group it was the case with one (1.2%) newborn baby (p < 0.01). The delivery of 98.8% newborns from the analysed group started spontaneously and two deliveries (1.2%) were induced. Risk factors for injuries of plexus brachialis in newborns at the Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics of the University Clinical Centre Tuzla include shortened second delivery period and completion of deliveries applying the vacuum extractor.