CASE REPORT article
Front. Med.
Sec. Regulatory Science
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1589417
This article is part of the Research TopicErrors and Biases in Modern Healthcare: Public Health, Medico-legal and Risk Management AspectsView all 9 articles
Birth-related long bone fractures in otherwise healthy newborns and medical professional liability: literature review and case presentation
Provisionally accepted
- 1MESIT Foundation of Social Medicine and Innovation Tecnology, Rome, Italy
- 2Rodolico-San Marco" Hospital, Catania, Italy
- 3Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, Rome, Lazio, Italy
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Birth-related long bone fractures are rare but clinically significant events that require careful evaluation to distinguish them from fractures caused by underlying pathological conditions or nonaccidental trauma. Their diagnosis and management have important clinical and medico-legal implications. A selective literature review was conducted to identify relevant studies published between 2004 and 2024, regarding incidence, mode of delivery, fracture location, time to diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. Additionally, an original case report of a female neonate diagnosed with femoral shaft fracture on the third day of life. Neonatal long bone fractures can occur even in the absence of predisposing genetic or metabolic conditions. While they generally heal without for surgical intervention, timely diagnosis through appropriate imaging is crucial to ensure proper management. Failure to do so may expose healthcare professionals and institutions to potential medico-legal liability, both during delivery and in the immediate postnatal period. Preventive strategies should focus on careful prenatal risk assessment, adherence to best practices in delivery maneuvers, and early postnatal monitoring to optimize outcomes and minimize legal risks.
Keywords: birth-related fractures, Medical professional liability, clinical risk, Long bone fracture, Malpractice
Received: 07 Mar 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Aurilio, Fava, Chisari and Bolcato. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ludovico Fava, MESIT Foundation of Social Medicine and Innovation Tecnology, Rome, Italy
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