Management of a neonatal femoral shaft fracture following breech presentation: A case report

Abstract

Birth injuries, including long bone fractures, are most often observed following breech delivery or difficult deliveries. Although a long bone fracture is a relatively rare complication, femoral fractures constitute one of the most common forms of injury of the lower extremity presenting in newborns. A low birth weight, female neonate was delivered by C-section with breech presentation in utero and presented with swelling and abnormal mobility of the right thigh immediately after birth. The femoral shaft fracture was successfully treated by conservative management using a Pavlik harness for 6 weeks. Even though cesarean deliveries reduce traumatic complications, especially in breech presentations, compared with vaginal delivery, they do not completely eliminate the possibility of accidental injuries to the newborn.

Keywords

• breech presentation
• femoral shaft fracture
• neonate
• pavlik harness