Volume 202, Issue 4 , Pages 361.e1-361.e6, April 2010
Route of delivery and neonatal birth trauma
Objective
We sought to examine rates of birth trauma in 2 groupings (all International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes for birth trauma, and as defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Indicator [PSI]) among infants born by vaginal and cesarean delivery.
Study Design
Data on singleton infants were obtained from the 2004-2005 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample.
Results
The rates of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality PSI and all birth trauma were 2.45 and 25.85 per 1000 births, respectively. Compared with vaginal, cesarean delivery was associated with increased odds of PSI birth trauma (odds ratio [OR], 1.71), primarily due to an increased risk for “other specified birth trauma” (OR, 2.61). Conversely, cesarean delivery was associated with decreased odds of all birth trauma (OR, 0.55), due to decreased odds of clavicle fractures (OR, 0.07), brachial plexus (OR, 0.10), and scalp injuries (OR, 0.55).
Conclusion
Infants delivered by cesarean are at risk for different types of birth trauma from infants delivered vaginally.
Key words: neonatal birth trauma, patient safety, route of delivery
Cite this article as: Moczygemba CK, Paramsothy P, Meikle S, et al. Route of delivery and neonatal birth trauma. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2010;202:361.e1-6.
PII: S0002-9378(09)02215-7
doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2009.11.041
© 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Volume 202, Issue 4 , Pages 361.e1-361.e6, April 2010

