Forceps and vacuum extractors can be lifesaving tools during difficult deliveries—but when used improperly, they can cause devastating, permanent injuries to newborns. If your child was injured during an assisted vaginal delivery, understanding how these injuries occur and your legal rights is essential.
Understanding Assisted Vaginal Deliveries
When labor stalls or fetal distress occurs, physicians sometimes use mechanical assistance to expedite delivery:
Forceps Delivery
Forceps are metal instruments resembling large tongs that are placed around the baby’s head to guide the baby through the birth canal during contractions. When properly used by experienced physicians, forceps can safely assist delivery.
Vacuum Extraction
A vacuum extractor uses a soft cup attached to the baby’s head via suction. The physician applies gentle traction during contractions to assist delivery. This method has largely replaced forceps in many hospitals.
When Assisted Delivery Becomes Dangerous
These tools become dangerous when:
- Used by inexperienced providers without proper training
- Applied with excessive force or improper technique
- Used when contraindicated (such as certain fetal positions)
- Applied for too long or with too many attempts
- Used instead of necessary C-section when operative delivery is clearly indicated
Injuries Caused by Forceps Misuse
Facial Nerve Injuries
Improper forceps placement can damage the facial nerve, causing temporary or permanent facial paralysis. The baby may be unable to close one eye, move one side of the mouth, or display symmetrical facial expressions.
Skull Fractures
Excessive force during forceps delivery can fracture the delicate bones of a newborn’s skull. Linear fractures may heal, but depressed fractures can cause brain damage.
Intracranial Hemorrhage
Bleeding within the skull is a serious complication of traumatic forceps delivery. Types include subdural hematoma, epidural hematoma, and intraparenchymal hemorrhage. These can cause permanent brain damage, seizures, and developmental delays.
Brachial Plexus Injuries
When forceps delivery is combined with excessive traction, the nerves controlling the arm (brachial plexus) can be stretched or torn, causing Erb’s palsy or total arm paralysis.
Injuries Caused by Vacuum Extractor Misuse
Subgaleal Hemorrhage
The most dangerous vacuum-related injury. Bleeding occurs between the skull’s periosteum and scalp, and because this space can hold significant blood volume, babies can experience life-threatening blood loss. This is more common when:
- The cup pops off multiple times
- Excessive suction pressure is used
- Traction is applied at wrong angles
Cephalohematoma
A collection of blood between the skull bone and its covering (periosteum). While usually not dangerous, large cephalohematomas can cause jaundice and, rarely, skull deformities.
Retinal Hemorrhage
Bleeding in the baby’s eyes, which can affect vision. More common with vacuum extraction than forceps.
Scalp Lacerations and Necrosis
Improper cup placement or excessive suction can damage scalp tissue, causing wounds that may scar or become infected.
Medical Standard of Care
Professional guidelines establish clear standards for assisted delivery:
- ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) recommends limiting vacuum attempts and abandoning the procedure after 2-3 cup pop-offs
- Operator experience: These procedures should only be performed by physicians with adequate training
- Informed consent: Parents should be informed of risks before assisted delivery
- Proper indications: Assisted delivery is appropriate only in specific circumstances
- Readiness for C-section: If assisted delivery fails, immediate surgical intervention must be available
Deviation from these standards can constitute medical negligence.
Proving Medical Malpractice in Illinois
To succeed in a birth injury claim involving forceps or vacuum extraction, you must prove:
- Duty: The healthcare provider owed your baby a duty of care
- Breach: The provider deviated from accepted medical standards
- Causation: The deviation caused your baby’s injuries
- Damages: Your baby suffered actual harm
Under 735 ILCS 5/2-622, you must obtain a written report from a qualified medical expert before filing suit, confirming there’s reasonable cause for the claim.
Statute of Limitations for Minors
Illinois provides extended time for birth injury claims. Under 735 ILCS 5/13-212:
- 8 years from the date of injury, OR
- Before the child’s 22nd birthday, whichever is first
This extended period recognizes that some injuries aren’t fully apparent until the child develops.
Compensation for Assisted Delivery Injuries
Families may recover:
- Medical expenses: Past, present, and future care needs
- Rehabilitation costs: Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
- Special education: If developmental delays result
- Adaptive equipment: Wheelchairs, communication devices, home modifications
- Lost earning capacity: Your child’s diminished future earnings
- Pain and suffering: Physical and emotional harm
- Parent damages: For witnessing injury and providing care
Contact a Chicago Birth Injury Attorney
If your child was injured during a forceps or vacuum extraction delivery, contact our office for a free consultation. We work with medical experts in obstetrics and neonatology to evaluate whether negligence caused your child’s injuries and fight for the compensation your family needs.