Dangers during Pregnancy: Umbilical Cord Strangulation

Pregnancy and delivery can result in a number of complications that can lead to injury of the mother or baby. One of the possible complications is known as umbilical cord strangulation. Despite the name, for umbilical cord strangulation to occur, the cord does not have to wrap around the baby’s neck. No matter how it occurs, this is a very serious complication because it can lead to brain damage or even fetal death.

What is Umbilical Cord Strangulation?

The umbilical cord is the lifeline between a developing baby and its mother. The length of the average umbilical cord is 22 inches. At one end it is attached to the baby’s abdomen, and at the other end, it is attached the mother’s placenta on the wall of the uterus. The cord contains two arteries and one vein so nutrients can be delivered, via blood, and cellular waste can be eliminated. Most cords coil toward the left, but a few coil to the right or are straight.

During labor, the baby can change positions several times before being born. In some cases, the baby’s neck can become entangled in the coils of the umbilical cord. This is called a nuchal cord, and may occur in 6 and up to 37 percent of deliveries. This situation can be difficult to detect before delivery, and it is usually a self-correcting situation. Even if detected by ultrasound, it has been deemed virtually impossible to determine if it is wound either tightly loosely.

Another type of umbilical cord strangulation occurs when the cord becomes knotted (cord knots), or when the cord becomes crimped (cord stricture). These conditions prevent oxygen and other nutrients from reaching the baby’s body and cause a build-up of carbon dioxide due to the fact that wastes are not being eliminated. True cord knots are rare, occurring in only 1 percent of pregnancies. However, cord stricture is more prevalent and has been found to be responsible for up to 19 percent of fetal deaths.

Treatment for Umbilical Cord Strangulation

Because a nuchal cord situation can be difficult to detect, it is often first detected at the emergence of the head. The usual treatment consists of simply looping the cord back around the neck while the head is in the open and continuing with a normal delivery. If the cord is too tight, it can be clamped and cut before delivery is complete. Recent evidence from medical studies suggests, however, that both of these types of treatments may lead to complications. New data suggests that delivering the baby with the nuchal cord is preferable. In the rare event that this cannot be done, an emergency cesarean may be called for.

Goldberg & Osborne, a personal injury law firm, has provided this article for informational purposes only, written by an independent author, and has not reviewed or edited this article and is not responsible for its content or accuracy.