"Dangerous" disease caused by obstetric trauma, causing the baby to have paralyzed arms right after birth

(Dan Tri) - According to doctors, this disease occurs in 1-4.6 children/1,000 births, often due to obstetric trauma related to difficult labor.

On July 23, a representative of Children's Hospital 2 (HCMC) said that recently, doctors here performed brachial plexus restoration surgery on a 5-month-old baby.

That is the case of baby D.QT (living in Can Tho city) who suffered brachial plexus injury due to obstetric trauma during normal birth.

Previously, the baby was born naturally and weighed 4.7kg. Since birth, the baby has been monitored and treated with physical therapy, but after 5 months, he can only lift his shoulders slightly and has very limited movement in his elbows, with poor recovery ability.

The newborn baby had brachial plexus paralysis (Photo: NT).

To have a chance to restore arm function, the family took the child to Children's Hospital 2 for help. Here, after examination, doctors from the Burn and Orthopedic Department determined that the child needed microsurgery to transfer the nerve.

Specialist Doctor 1 Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nga, Head of the Burn and Orthopedic Department, said that the treatment goal is to help the child gradually recover important functions such as raising the shoulder, bending the elbow and moving the fingers. After surgery, the child will continue intensive physical therapy to optimize recovery.

According to Dr. Nga, brachial plexus paralysis is a condition in which the nerve is crushed or severed along the path from the cervical cord to the arm. The incidence of this condition ranges from 1-4.6 children/1,000 births.

Doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nga checks the child's condition (Photo: NT).

The disease is often caused by obstetric trauma, related to difficult labor such as shoulder dystocia, cephalopelvic disproportion, breech birth, use of forceps during birth, giving birth by vacuum...

After birth, the baby needs to be thoroughly evaluated to determine the extent of the injury, the location of the affected nerve, the ability to recover on its own, or the need for surgery.

Doctors recommend that early detection of signs of brachial plexus injury in infants, monitoring and proper treatment at each stage are decisive factors in the child's ability to recover motor function.

The recovery process will be assessed by medical staff every month. After 3 months of physical therapy without improvement or stopping progress during the monitoring process, the child should be transferred to a medical facility with a pediatric neurosurgery department for timely assessment and intervention.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/can-benh-hiem-do-sang-chan-san-khoa-khien-chau-be-vua-sinh-da-liet-tay-20250723085425359.htm