Stillbirth after failed Zavanelli manoeuvre.

Abstract

Shoulder dystocia is a serious obstetric complication, where one or both shoulders of a child are trapped after the head is born during vaginal delivery. The situation is life-threatening for the child and requires quick management with obstetric manoeuveres for delivering the shoulders. Rarely, the abdominal approach called Zavanelli manoeuvre is used to achieve delivery after a replacement of the head back in the birth canal, prior to acute caesarean section. This is a case report of a 26-year-old woman with severe shoulder dystocia, failed Zavanelli manoeuvre and vaginal delivery of a lifeless child.