Umbilical cord compression is the obstruction of blood flow through the

umbilical cord In Placentalia, placental mammals, the umbilical cord (also called the navel string, birth cord or ''funiculus umbilicalis'') is a conduit between the developing embryo or fetus and the placenta. During prenatal development, the umbilical cord i ...

secondary to pressure from an external object or misalignment of the cord itself. Cord compression happens in about one in 10 deliveries.Childbirth Complications
at medicinenet.com. Last Editorial Review: 1/30/2005

Causes

Nuchal cord A nuchal cord is when the umbilical cord becomes wrapped around the fetus's neck. Symptoms present in the baby shortly after birth from a prior nuchal cord may include duskiness of face, facial petechia, and bleeding in the whites of the eye. Com ...

, when the umbilical cord is (tightly) around the neck of the fetusP02.5 Fetus and newborn affected by other compression of umbilical cord
in

ICD-10 ICD-10 is the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), a medical classification list by the World Health Organization (WHO). It contains codes for diseases, signs and symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social cir ...

, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases *Entanglement of the cord *Knot in the cord *

Cord prolapse Cord or CORD may refer to: Common meanings * String (structure), String * Thin rope * Twine * Cord (unit) used for measuring wood * Power cord * Umbilical cord Cord or CORD may also refer to: Places * Cord, Arkansas People * Alex Cord ( ...

, where the umbilical cord exits the birth canal before the baby, which can cause cord compression. *As a complication of

oligohydramnios Oligohydramnios is a medical condition in pregnancy characterized by a deficiency of amniotic fluid, the fluid that surrounds the fetus in the abdomen, in the amniotic sac. The limiting case is anhydramnios, where there is a complete absence of ...

in which there is insufficient

amniotic fluid The amniotic fluid is the protective liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a gravid amniote. This fluid serves as a cushion for the growing fetus, but also serves to facilitate the exchange of nutrients, water, and biochemical products betwee ...

*Compression during

uterine contraction Uterine contractions are muscle contractions of the uterine smooth muscle that can occur at various intensities in both the non-pregnant and pregnant uterine state. The non-pregnant uterus undergoes small, spontaneous contractions in addition to ...

s in

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more Fetus, fetuses exits the Womb, internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section and becomes a newborn to ...

Diagnosis

cardiotocography Cardiotocography (CTG) is a technique used to monitor the fetal heartbeat and uterine contractions during pregnancy and labour. The machine used to perform the monitoring is called a cardiotocograph. Fetal heart sounds were described as early ...

(CTG), umbilical cord compression can present with

variable decelerations Cardiotocography (CTG) is a technique used to monitor the fetal heartbeat and uterine contractions during pregnancy and Childbirth, labour. The machine used to perform the monitoring is called a cardiotocograph. Fetal heart sounds were described ...

in fetal heart rate.

Treatment

Umbilical cord compression may be relieved by the mother switching to another position or through maternal hydration. Secondary treatments include

amnioinfusion Amnioinfusion is a method in which isotonic fluid is instilled into the uterine cavity. It was introduced in the 1960s as a means of terminating pregnancy and inducing labor in intrauterine death, but is currently used as a treatment in order to c ...

. In persistent severe signs of fetal distress,

Cesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section, cesarean, or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen. It is often performed because vaginal delivery would ...

may be needed.

References

External links

{{Medical resources , DiseasesDB = , ICD10 = {{ICD10, P, 02, 5 , ICD9 = {{ICD9, 762.5 , ICDO = , OMIM = , MedlinePlus = , eMedicineSubj = , eMedicineTopic = , MeshID = Human pregnancy