Prevention of shoulder dystocia: A randomized controlled trial to evaluate an obstetric maneuver.

Objective: Shoulder dystocia is a major obstetric emergency defined as a failure of delivery of the fetal shoulder(s). This study evaluated whether an obstetric maneuver, the push back maneuver performed gently on the fetal head during delivery, could reduce the risk of shoulder dystocia.

Study Design: We performed a multicenter, randomized, single-blind trial to compare the push back maneuver with usual care in parturient women at term.