Neonatal Obstetric Trauma in a Hospital in the Suburbs of Dakar, Senegal

Introduction: Neonatal obstetric traumas remain an important cause of morbidity-mortality. The objective of this study was to study obstetric traumatic lesions of the new-born in the paediatric department of the Centre hospitalier Roi Baudouin. Patients and method: This was a descriptive retrospective study of new-borns with obstetric trauma received at the Centre hospitalier Roi Baudouin’s paediatric ward over a 12-month period. The variables studied were maternal (age, parity, presentation, mode of delivery and place of delivery,) and neonatal (birth weight, type of lesion and diagnosis time). Results: Out of the 1426 new-borns received during the study period, 60 had trauma, a hospital frequency of 4.2%. The average age of new-borns for consultation was 8.85 days. The known and found contributory factors were: birth weight greater than 3500 g and the absence of cry at birth. Births were delivered by midwives (80%), the hospital was the main place of birth (61.7%). The main clinical presentations were: neonatal brachial plexus palsy (38.3%), fracture of the clavicle (33.3%) and caput succedaneum (13.3%). Conclusion: New-born obstetric trauma are relatively frequent at the Centre hospitalier Roi Baudouin The diagnosis is delayed due to a lack of proper examination of the new-born in the delivery room. Systematic examination of new-born at birth would be a reliable means for the detection and early management of this condition.