How to absorb neonatal hematoma quickly

Some parents will find one or two lumps the size of red dates on their baby’s head, but the baby will not feel any pain if they press gently with their hands. In fact, this is a neonatal scalp hematoma, and scalp hematoma is mainly caused by damage to the blood vessels under the scalp of the newborn, because the blood vessels were squeezed when the baby came out of the mother's belly. So how can the hematoma of the newborn be absorbed quickly?

The connection between the galea aponeurotica and the periosteum, as well as the connection between the periosteum and the skull, are both relatively loose, so it is easier for the blood vessels in these loose gaps to be damaged under the action of external force (often birth trauma). In addition, the blood vessels of newborns themselves are very fragile, so scalp hematomas are relatively common. Depending on the specific location of occurrence, the most common types are subperiosteal hematoma and subgaleal hematoma, followed by subcutaneous hematoma. Clinically, these are often collectively referred to as scalp hematomas.

2. How to absorb neonatal hematoma quickly

1. Bleeding period

Generally, within 1 day after the injury, the hematoma in this stage will progressively increase in size. The bleeding of scalp hematoma will gradually stop 1 day after the injury. Infection generally does not occur during this period. If puncture and aspiration of the hematoma is performed during this period, it is easy to cause bleeding, and even shock due to excessive bleeding, and increase the chance of infection. Therefore, no special treatment is generally given during the bleeding period. Due to the anatomical characteristics of the neonatal skull and potential skull lesions, the use of pressure bandages to treat hematomas is contraindicated.

Bleeding stops after coagulation starts, usually 1-3 days. This period is also often the window period for infection. Scalp hematoma infection often starts from this period, so you can continue to observe.

3. Liquefaction period

4 days to 3 weeks after injury, the scalp's defensive barrier function has become more complete and the hematoma begins to liquefy. The absorption around the hematoma is enhanced, and the hematoma part smaller than 5ml in volume can be absorbed and disappear. You can continue to observe. If there is still no absorption trend after 3 weeks, puncture and aspiration can be performed. For hematomas larger than 5 ml, most reports and clinical practices focus on puncture aspiration at 2 weeks, especially subperiosteal hematomas, which are more prone to hematoma organization and should be treated more actively. For patients with hematoma infection, surgical incision, drainage and routine dressing changes are required.

The hematoma gradually begins to organize after one week, becomes more obvious in the fourth week, and gradually forms a hard lump and a bony structure (shell). If accompanied by bone destruction, there may be active bleeding, which often requires surgical incision. Some hematomas still have the chance to be aspirated during this period.

5. Osteogenesis

After two months, the osseous structure further fuses with the skull and reshapes to form a bony protrusion. Surgery is chosen because the bony prominence causes severe cosmetic problems, and surgical removal of the bony encapsulation is the goal of the problem.