Caput succedaneum is an edema or swelling of a baby’s head and is especially common after a hard delivery. The scalp swells because of the pressure from the uterus or vaginal wall during a long or strenuous labor. While mild versions of this condition are normal, severe cases can lead to highly traumatic damage and extensive complications. Medical malpractice by doctors or nurses may cause severe birth injuries arising from caput succedaneum.
A negligent doctor can do incredible damage to a child, including the potential for caput succedaneum. Learn more about this condition, its complications, and treatment options.
What Is Caput Succedaneum?
Caput succedaneum is a medical term for fluid under the skin on a baby’s head. This fluid builds up in a localized area, causing swelling and edema. This is most common in newborn babies after a vaginal delivery. A head-first delivery focuses a great deal of pressure on the baby’s head. This pressure comes from the uterus or the vaginal wall during childbirth. Babies might also suffer this condition from a C-section, though this is a less frequent occurrence.
The risk of caput succedaneum is higher for babies that are macrosomic, those having a high birth weight. A larger baby experiences more pressure as it is birthed. Newborns may also experience greater instances of trauma if the mother is especially small, has a smaller vaginal opening during childbirth, or if the baby experiences birthing trauma.
Is Caput Succedaneum Dangerous for a Baby?
Caput succedaneum is quite common and is a mostly benign neonatal condition. It results from the normal pressures and compressions the baby’s head experiences as it passes out of the birth canal. On its own, caput succedaneum is harmless and limited to the scalp. However, the condition can quickly lead to other complications. Severe cases could lead to jaundice and several other severe harms.
Symptoms of Caput Succedaneum
Most caput succedaneum symptoms are relatively minor and cause little to no long-term damage. They include:
- Swelling that extends to both sides of the child’s scalp
- Swelling that appears on the part of the head that presented first during birth
- Soft, puffy swelling on the scalp
- Potential bruising or discoloration of the baby’s scalp
While symptoms are often benign, doctors must avoid confusing the symptoms of other conditions with caput succedaneum. Potentially dangerous medical concerns such as hydrocephalus can also result in head swelling, but well-trained medical staff should be able to differentiate this condition from more serious concerns.
Diagnosis, Testing, and Treatment
Caput succedaneum requires no testing to diagnose it, unlike many other health conditions. Instead, doctors will check the child’s head to determine if the condition is present. Doctors will likely palpate — examine by touch — the child’s affected areas to observe the extent and severity of the swelling. More importantly, quality medical staff will identify any other issues that might indicate more serious conditions are present.
For most children, caput succedaneum disappears on its own after just a few days. While the look can be alarming, most children make a complete recovery with little to no medical intervention. In more significant cases, a doctor may have to drain the fluid below the scalp to reduce swelling. Doctors should take great care in this procedure. If they don’t, they may commit medical malpractice that causes more harm than the condition itself.
Potential Complications of Caput Succedaneum
The condition may lead to other complications, especially when it is more severe. In rare cases, caput succedaneum includes bruising over the skin, which could lead to necrosis, or death of the skin. Serious cases may also lead to scarring and infection of the affected areas. Some children will also experience alopecia, the loss of their hair. In most cases, this hair loss is temporary.
Bruising may also lead to another condition — newborn jaundice. This occurs from increased bilirubin levels in the baby’s blood, contributing to newborn jaundice or exacerbating it in conjunction with other medical issues. Newborn jaundice is not typically serious but if left untreated, it could lead to a life-threatening medical condition called kernicterus. When this happens, increased bilirubin in the blood invades the baby’s brain, damaging it. This can result in severe and permanent brain damage.
Caput Succedaneum vs. Cephalohematoma
Many of the symptoms of caput succedaneum are mistaken for another more serious condition — cephalohematoma. This condition occurs when blood, not just fluid, builds up below the scalp. The pressure of normal childbirth or the use of vacuum extractors can damage blood vessels and cause them to bleed under the scalp.
Cephalohematoma is often benign. However, more severe cases may require treatment or be a sign of a skull fracture.
Caput Succedaneum as Evidence of Birth Injuries
Even when the condition is not itself serious, caput succedaneum is often useful evidence of a difficult or traumatic birth. It is not usually significant because of its own medical problems but simply as an indicator that may help prove other medical negligence during birth. Caput succedaneum means the head experienced a great deal of pressure during delivery, consistent with a long or difficult birth.
It may help prove that other birth injuries were caused by a doctor’s medical malpractice. Other common birth injuries that present alongside caput succedaneum include:
- C-section injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Brachial plexus injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Cerebral palsy
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
- Broken bones and fractures
- Foreceps injuries
- Hearing and vision loss
- Blunt force trauma
- Wrongful death
Caput Succedaneum Injuries are Common Birth Injuries
While caput succedaneum might be a common birth injury, it can appear frightening to parents who see it on their child. Responsible doctors explain the condition and how to treat it. However, it may also be a sign of bigger issues. Parents who experienced a difficult birth or see other injuries on their child may also see caput succedaneum. It may be useful evidence in a medical malpractice case to prove a doctor’s negligence.
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