Shoulder Dystocia



- Definition:
- Delay in delivery of shoulder by 21 minutes after delivery of fetal head.
- Sign:
- Turtle sign (Head retracts against perineum).
Algorithm for management:
- HELPERR mnemonic
- H: Call for help.
- E: Give liberal episiotomy.
- L: Legs maneuver (McRoberts maneuver).
- Flex the thighs and abduct them.
- Leads to straightening of sacrum and increases available space.
- P: Suprapubic pressure.
- E: Enter the hand.
- Rotate shoulders of baby (Woods corkscrew maneuver).
- R: Remove/Deliver the posterior arm of baby.
- R: Roll the patient on all 4 limbs (All fours maneuver/Gaskin maneuver).
Last step if everything fails is Zavanelli maneuver.
Notes:
- During Normal Lithotomy → Stirrups → CPN injury → High stepping gait/foot drop
- The most common nerve injured during McRoberts maneuver
- Lateral cutaneous nerve of thigh.
Most Common Complications in Shoulder Dystocia:
- Maternal: Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH).
- Fetal: Erb's palsy (Nerve roots: C5, C6).

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