
The McRoberts maneuver is an
obstetrical
Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgic ...
maneuver used to assist 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 ...
. It is named after William A. McRoberts, Jr. It is employed in case of
shoulder dystocia
Shoulder dystocia occurs after vaginal delivery of the head, when the baby's anterior shoulder is obstructed by the mother's pubic bone. It is typically diagnosed when the baby's shoulders fail to deliver despite gentle downward traction on the b ...
during
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 ...
and involves hyperflexing the mother's legs tightly to her abdomen. It is effective due to the increased mobility at the sacroiliac joint during pregnancy, allowing rotation of the pelvis and facilitating the release of the fetal shoulder. If this maneuver does not succeed, an assistant applies pressure on the lower abdomen (suprapubic pressure). Current guidelines strongly recommend against pulling on the infants head, as this could lead to brachial plexus injury. Instead, support while keeping the neck straight is indicated. The technique is effective in about 42% of cases. Note that suprapubic pressure and McRobert's maneuver together will resolve 90% of cases.
See also
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Wood's screw maneuver
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Zavanelli maneuver
The Zavanelli maneuver is an obstetric maneuver that involves pushing back the delivered fetal head into the birth canal in anticipation of performing a cesarean section in cases of shoulder dystocia.
The Zavanelli maneuver is performed only af ...
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Shoulder dystocia
Shoulder dystocia occurs after vaginal delivery of the head, when the baby's anterior shoulder is obstructed by the mother's pubic bone. It is typically diagnosed when the baby's shoulders fail to deliver despite gentle downward traction on the b ...
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Treatment of shoulder dystocia
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The mechanics of birth
References
Childbirth
Obstetrical procedures
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