Bleeding around the Baby’s Brain can occur in a Vacuum Assisted Delivery
Intracranial hemorrhage, or bleeding around the baby’s brain is known complication of vacuum assisted delivery. As described above, the vacuum uses traction to attach to the baby’s head and pull the baby out. This traction can injure the baby’s veins and cause bleeding around the baby's brain. If enough blood accumulates, the brain can be compressed depriving the brain tissue of oxygen.Blood under the Baby’s Skin or Scalp can occur in a Vacuum Assisted Delivery
Vacuum extractors or devices can also cause a hematoma, a collection of blood under the skin (hematoma). Two types of hematoma can result from vacuum-assisted deliveries.- Cephalohematoma - blood under the fibrous covering of the skull. Blood may take time to dissolve. Most often, no special therapy is required to treat an infant with cephalohematoma.
- Subgaleal hematoma – a more serious form of bleeding where the blood accumulates under the scalp. Traction can pull the scalp and the layer of tissue just under the scalp away from the skull injuring the veins below.