What Are Vacuum Extraction Birth Injuries?

 Posted on July 10, 2024 in Birth Injury

Across the United States, vacuum extraction accounts for about 2.5 percent of all vaginal births, although the rates of vacuum extraction and forceps delivery have been falling as cesarean rates continue to climb. Birth injuries occur in about seven out of every 1,000 live births.  Both forceps and vacuum extraction work in the same way by guiding the baby out of the birth canal during delivery.

The vacuum looks and acts like a suction cup placed on the baby’s skull. The suction guides the baby’s head as the mother pushes. Vacuum extraction is used once the cervix is completely dilated and the mother has been pushing—the second stage of labor. Under certain circumstances, vacuum extraction may be used during a breech delivery or a C-section.

Vacuum extraction is most often used when the baby’s head is not moving down the birth canal, the position of the head cannot be accurately determined, or the baby has a bleeding disorder or a condition that affects the strength of the bones. Vacuum extraction may also be used when the doctor is concerned that the baby is too large to fit through the mother’s pelvis.

If your doctor’s negligent use of vacuum extract resulted in a birth injury to your baby, you could benefit from speaking to a knowledgeable Chicago birth injury attorney from Birth Injury Law Alliance, Ltd.. It is important that your attorney has significant experience holding negligent medical staff accountable for unnecessary birth injuries.

What Constitutes Negligence When Using Vacuum Extraction?

When a vacuum extractor is used improperly, both infant and maternal injuries can occur. Maternal injuries can include tears in the vaginal tissues leading to postpartum hemorrhaging or incontinence. There are many different ways a vacuum extraction can go wrong, such as:

• Too much suction is used, pulling on the baby’s scalp without pulling the baby’s head through the birth canal. Too much suction can be life-threatening for the infant, causing a life-threatening loss of blood or brain injuries.
• The suction cup on the vacuum pump could be improperly placed, causing hemorrhaging in or around the brain.
• Too much force was used by the doctor, resulting in skull fractures, encephalomalacia, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, Erb’s Palsy, or brachial plexus injuries in the neck and shoulders.

When a medical professional uses vacuum extraction, there should be a very compelling reason to do so, and the medical professional should be well-trained in the procedure to avoid birth injuries and maternal injuries.

What Types of Birth Injuries Can Result from the Improper Use of Vacuum Extraction?

Many types of infant injuries can result from the negligent use of vacuum extraction. These injuries may include:

• Brachial plexus injuries, such as Erb’s palsy and shoulder dystocia, can occur when the baby’s shoulder, neck, head, or arm are being pulled by the vacuum extractor while the baby is stuck in the birth canal. Injuries to the brachial plexus nerves can result in long-term complications, with some babies never completely recovering.
• Bleeding in the brain is caused by excessive suction that causes blood vessels to rupture or put pressure on the baby’s brain. These injuries may heal within a few weeks or months or can cause long-term brain damage and neurological issues.
• Intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders can result from cerebral palsy caused by vacuum extraction.

Other serious injuries include blindness, bruising or swelling of the brain, facial nerve palsy, cerebral palsy, stroke, fractures of the skull, severe jaundice, scalp lacerations, Kernicterus, and hearing loss.

Call an Experienced Cook County, IL, Birth Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Having your baby injured through negligence is one of the worst things you may ever experience, particularly if the injuries cause long-term mental or physical disabilities. This is not something you should attempt to handle by yourself. You should not have to worry about the financial aspect of your baby’s injuries, including speech therapy and other types of therapy the baby will need for many years to come.

Under the Illinois statute of limitations, you only have two years following your baby’s birth injury to file a claim for damages. Having a Chicago, IL birth injury lawyer who will fight for you and your baby can make all the difference. Call Birth Injury Law Alliance, Ltd. at 312-462-4200 to set up a free consultation to discuss your baby’s birth injury resulting from the improper use of vacuum extraction.