Birth injuries.
1. Big picture
Birth injuries are structural or functional injuries occurring during labor, delivery, or immediate neonatal resuscitation. Most are minor and resolve spontaneously, but some are life-threatening or cause long-term disability.
The examiner wants you to recognize:
After a difficult delivery, always examine the newborn from head to toe: scalp swelling, skull injury, fractures, nerve palsy, respiratory distress, abdominal distension, pallor, shock, and neurological signs.
The most important exam distinction is:
Caput succedaneum vs cephalohematoma vs subgaleal hemorrhage
because subgaleal hemorrhage can cause massive blood loss and shock.
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