Shoulder dystocia: an obstetrical emergency.

• Autor(a) principal: Marques, Joana Borges
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Outros Autores: Reynolds, Ana
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://www.actamedicaportuguesa.com/revista/index.php/amp/article/view/480

Shoulder dystocia is one of the most feared obstetric emergencies due to related maternal and neonatal complications and therefore, the growing of medico-legal litigation that it entails. Although associated with risk factors such as fetal macrossomia, gestacional diabetes and instrumented delivery, the majority of cases are unpredictable. The lack of a consensus on shoulder dystocia diagnosis causes variations on its incidence and hampers a more comprehensive analysis. Management guidelines described for its resolution include several manoeuvres but the ideal sequence of procedures is not clearly defined in more severe cases. Hands-on and team training, through simulation-based techniques applied to medicine, seems to be a promising method to learn how to deal with shoulder dystocia having in mind a reduction in related maternal or neonatal morbidity and mortality. The main goal of this paper is to provide a comprehensive revision of shoulder dystocia highlighting its relevance as an obstetric emergency. A reflection on the management is presented emphasising the importance of simulation-based training.