21/06/2026
✅Below is a detailed breakdown of the procedure as illustrated in this Image.
The Burns-Marshall manoeuvre is an obstetric technique used to facilitate the delivery of the aftercoming head during a va**nal breech birth. The goal of this procedure is to use gravity and controlled movement to maintain the fetal head in a flexed position, ensuring it passes through the birth canal safely.
✅Step-by-Step Procedure
Step A (Gravity-Assisted Flexion): The infant is allowed to hang by their own weight. This position utilizes gravity to assist in maintaining the flexion of the fetal head (bringing the chin to the chest), which is essential for a smooth delivery. The provider waits until the hairline at the back of the neck is visible.
✅Step B (Supporting the Limbs): Once the hairline is visible, the provider firmly holds the infant's feet. This ensures the baby remains stable and controlled during the next phase of the manoeuvre.
✅Step C (Airway Management): With the infant still positioned to allow access, the provider clears the infant's mouth and suctions any fluids to establish an airway and assist with immediate respiration.
✅Step D (Delivery of the Head): The provider then swings the infant's body upward in a controlled arc toward the mother’s abdomen. This motion assists in delivering the head over the perineum and out of the birth canal.
✅Important Clinical Note: This information is provided for educational purposes based on the visual guide. Obstetric manoeuvres are complex medical procedures performed only by trained healthcare professionals during childbirth. They require clinical judgment, knowledge of maternal and fetal anatomy, and the ability to manage potential complications.
✅The Burns-Marshall manoeuvre is a highly specialized obstetric technique employed to ensure the safe delivery of the aftercoming head during a va**nal breech birth, which involves allowing the baby's body to hang by its own weight, promoting flexion of the head, followed by a controlled upward movement of the feet toward the mother's abdomen to carefully clear the baby's face and airway, thereby reducing traction on the baby's neck and minimizing potential birth complications.
Dr. Ravishankar Kumar