The Fetal Somersault Delivery Manever

Finding a nuchal cord (NC) at delivery is not rare. NCs occur anywhere from 25-30% of all deliveries. When encountered at time of vaginal delivery, the first line maneuver should be an attempt to "reduce" the loop of cord around the fetal head by gently pulling the cord up and around the presenting part. However, if the NC is tight, an attempt at reduction may not be successful- or may risk inadvertent cord rupture withs subsequent fetal blood loss. Historically, the next move described was the +clamp and cut" maneuver. However, this interrupts the vital communication of oxygenated blood to the child from the placenta prior to the fetal body delivery. This prevents the beneficial and physiologic placental blood transfusion to the child immediately after the body delivers. That's why the fetal somersault maneuver has benefits when encountering a tight fetal NC. First described in 1991, this maneuver often gets overlooked as a viable option. In this episode, we will summarize the basis for and technique (the 4 Fs) of the fetal Somersault Maneuver.