Author Question: With regard to injuries to the infant's plexus during labor and birth, nurses should be aware that: ... (Read 41 times)

PhilipSeeMore · **on:** Jun 28, 2018

With regard to injuries to the infant's plexus during labor and birth, nurses should be aware that:

a. If the nerves are stretched with no avulsion, they should recover completely in 3 to 6 months.
b. Erb palsy is damage to the lower plexus.
c. Parents of children with brachial palsy are taught to pick up the child from under the axillae.
d. Breastfeeding is not recommended for infants with facial nerve paralysis until the condition resolves.

Question 2

As related to central nervous system injuries that could occur to the infant during labor and birth, nurses should be aware that:

a. Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) as a result of birth trauma is more likely to occur in the preterm, low-birth-weight infant.
b. Subarachnoid hemorrhage (the most common form of ICH) occurs in term infants as a result of hypoxia.
c. In many infants signs of hemorrhage in a full-term infant are absent and are diagnosed only through laboratory tests.
d. Spinal cord injuries almost always result from forceps-assisted deliveries.

krakiolit · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 28, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
If the nerves are stretched with no avulsion, they should recover completely in 3 to 6 months. However, if the ganglia are disconnected completely from the spinal cord, the damage is permanent. Erb palsy is damage to the upper plexus and is less serious than brachial palsy. Parents of children with brachial palsy are taught to avoid picking up the child under the axillae or by pulling on the arms. Breastfeeding is not contraindicated, but both the mother and infant will need help from the nurse at the start.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
Abnormalities in lumbar punctures or red blood cell counts, for instance, or in visuals on computed tomography scan may reveal a hemorrhage. ICH as a result of birth trauma is more likely to occur in the full-term, large infant. Subarachnoid hemorrhage in term infants is a result of trauma; in preterm infants it is a result of hypoxia. Spinal cord injuries are almost always from breech births; they are rare today because cesarean birth often is used for breech presentation.