Caput Succedaneum – a Common Birth Injury

Caput Succedaneum is one of the most common birth injuries that can happen as a result of pregnancy complications, labor and delivery. Caput Succedaneum (sometimes referred as just caput) is a scalp hemorrhage that occurs to a fetus during a head first delivery, and can result in bruising and moulding of the infant scalp.

Signs and Symptoms of Caput Succedaneum

Caput Succedaneum is diagnosed through physical examination of the newborn’s head, so no additional medical testing is required. Common indications of this type of birth injury may include the following:

• Puffy, soft swelling of the scalp

• Swelling that extends over the midline of the scalp area

• Bruising or hemorrhaging of the swelling over the infant scalp, caused by bleeding in the area

• Increased moulding of the infant head due to pressure from the delivery process

Swelling generally occurs in the portion of the head that initially pushes through the vaginal wall during delivery, but can occur on any portion of the scalp. Jaundice is a complication of caput succedaneum that can occur as a result of bruising breaking down on the scalp.

Causes of Caput Succedaneum

Caput Succedaneum is commonly caused by pressure from the vaginal wall or uterus during labor. This birth injury is more likely to occur during difficult or prolonged deliveries, and is more common during deliveries that include vacuum extraction, a technique that is used by a doctor to help a fetus move through the birth canal. Caput Succedaneum can more rarely occur before childbirth as the result of a premature rupture of membranes in the uterus, but Caput Succedaneum is most common as a birth injury during the labor and delivery process.

Treatment of Caput Succedaneum

Caput Succedaneum does not generally cause complications to the infant, and typically resolves itself over the course of a few days. This type of birth injury does not usually require any type of medical treatment. If the contour of the infant scalp has changed as a result of caput succedaneum, a normal contour will be regained through the healing process.

As with any birth injury, complications can arise. For instance, jaundice can result from the scalp hemorrhage. Parents and medical providers should be alert to any complications and be aware of the infant healing process.

Prevention of Caput Succedaneum

Caput succedaneum is often unavoidable during the delivery process, but thorough prenatal care and careful, competent management of the labor and delivery process can reduce the chances of this birth injury.

Contact a birth injury attorney if you feel that an instance of caput succedaneum is the result of medical malpractice or have any questions about a birth injury claim or birth injury lawsuit related to caput succedaneum.

(Article from Birth Injury and Medical Malpractice Legal View)