Birth injury

Birth injury refers to damage or injury to the child before, during, or just after the birthing process. "Birth trauma" refers specifically to mechanical damage sustained during delivery (such as nerve damage and broken bones).[1]

The term "birth injury" may be used in two different ways:

  1. the ICD-10 uses "birth injury" and "birth trauma" interchangeably to refer to mechanical injuries sustained during delivery;
  2. the legal community uses "birth injury" to refer to any damage or injury sustained during pregnancy, during delivery, or just after delivery, including injuries caused by trauma.

Birth injuries must be distinguished from birth defects. "Birth defect" refers to damage that occurs while the fetus is in the womb, which may be caused by genetic mutations, infections, or exposure to toxins. There are more than 4,000 types of birth defects.[2]

  1. ^ Laroia, Nirupama (2 February 2015). "Birth Trauma". MedScape. WebMD LLC. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Birth Defects". Kids Health. Nemours. Retrieved 13 December 2017.