NATURE AND INCIDENCES OF NEW BORN BRACHIAL PLEXUS PALSY IN CHILDREN MANAGED IN TWO MAJOR HEALTHCARE FACILITIES IN BENIN CITY, NIGERIA.

ABSTRACT

Background: Brachial plexus palsy is an injury to brachial plexus, a network of nerves that supply the upper limb. Numerous studies have been carried out globally to determine the prevalence of this injury in different geographical locations with its associated risk factors. Shoulder dystocia was reported to be the leading risk factor associated with this injury in several studies. However, there is a minimal report of brachial plexus palsy in this study. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the nature and incidences of brachial plexus palsy in the newborn in University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and Edo Specialist Hospital (ESH) respectively between 2019-2023. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study convenience sampling technique was used to extract data from the medical files of children born with brachial plexus palsy in UBTH and ESH noting delivery year, sex, side of affectation, associated events, birth weight, mode of delivery, maternal parity, associated factors data was analysed using IBM of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and summarized using descriptive Statistics of Frequency, percentages, Mean and Standard Deviation. Results: The incidence of brachial plexus palsy in this study was 0.052% in 11605 births. Erb's palsy (100%) was the most prevalence type of brachial plexus palsy in this study while assisted delivery (16.7%) was the least prevalent risk factor. The injury was more on the left upper limb (66.7%) and affected more of female gender 4(66.7%). v Conclusion: The incidences of brachial plexus palsy among the newborn in University of Benin Teaching Hospital was minimal with no report in Edo Specialist Hospital. There was a high-risk factor of prolonged labor (50%) and infant high birth weight (50%). Keywords: Brachial plexus palsy, newborn, incidences, nature