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Cord prolapse
Wikipedia
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Image:Cord.prolaps.jpg|thumb|Cord prolapse, depicted by W.Smellie, 1792
Cord prolapse is an obstetrics|obstetric emergency during pregnancy or labour that endangers the life of the baby. It is when the umbilical cord presents itself outside of the uterus while the fetus is still inside. It can happen when the water breaks – with the gush of water the cord comes along. Usually, thereafter the fetus will engage and squash the cord, cutting off oxygen supplies and leading to brain damage or stillbirth. Before that happens, the baby must be quickly delivered by caesarean section. In the meantime, an attendant needs to reach into the vagina and push the head up so that it does not suffocate the cord. It is useless to try to push the cord back.
Potential predisposing risk factors include:
- Premature birth|Premature rupture of the amniotic sac
- When the amniotic sac ruptures polyhydramnios (having too much amniotic fluid) the cord may be forced out with the waters
Category:Obstetrics
Category:Medical emergencies
This article is
licensed under the
GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Cord prolapse".
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Last Modified: 2005-12-23 |
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