New procedures that can make Caesarean birth safer for mother and child are being urgently assessed by obstetricians.
Around 25 percent of all births are Caesarean—and 10 percent of them have complications that can cause long term health problems for the baby.
Impacted fetal head (IFH) is the most common complication, and 2 percent of babies don’t survive the procedure or are seriously injured, say researchers from the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists in the UK. Injuries include skull fractures, haemorrhage and eye damage.
The mother can suffer increased blood loss, and there’s an increased risk of infection, bladder and urinary tract damage.
In IFH cases, the obstetrician can’t get her hand below the baby’s head to deliver it, but many aren’t confident to perform alternative procedures such as reverse breech extraction.
New aids, such as the Tyderman tube, are being evaluated. The tube helps elevate the baby’s head for a safer delivery.
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