Descriptive Study of Obstetric Brachial Plexus Palsy (OBPP) at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective To study the incidence and risk factors for obstetric brachial plexus palsy and assess the functional outcome. Material and Methods Five-year data of infants with OBPP were reviewed. Case-control study was performed using matched controls to identify the risk factors. Infants with OBPP were followed up to assess functional outcome. Results Of the 14,184 live births over a period of 5 years from 2013 to 2017, 23 (11 males, 12 females) had OBPP. Incidence of OBPP was 1.6 per 1000 live births. Higher birth weight (p-value 0.002) and instrumental delivery (p-value 0.02) were independent risk factors for obstetric brachial plexus palsy by multivariate logistic regression analysis. No cases of obstetric brachial plexus palsy were seen in babies born by cesarean section. 95% of the infants with obstetric brachial plexus palsy had complete recovery by 4 months of age. Conclusion Higher birth weight and instrumental vaginal delivery are independent risk factors for obstetric brachial plexus palsy. Cesarean section may have a protective effect against OBPP. Most infants with obstetric brachial plexus palsy have complete recovery.