This blog is for women health and I am talking about a congenital condition found in children.Well a women health blog is incomplete if we don't talk about those 1% of pregnancies where babies have congenital ( since birth) structural defect.
Today I got a frantic call from a very anxious father to be refered to me by a patient of mine.His wife has been diagnosed in advanced stage of pregnancy with Diaphragmatic hernia.
What is diaphragmatic hernia?
A diaphragmatic hernia is a birth defect in which there is an abnormal opening in the diaphragm, the muscle that helps you breathe. The opening allows part of the organs from the belly (stomach, spleen, liver, and intestines) to go up into the chest cavity near the lungs.
Symptoms
Severe breathing difficulty usually develops shortly after the baby is born, because of ineffective movement of the diaphragm and crowding of the lung tissue, which causes collapse. The reason why this occurs is not known.
Treatment
A diaphragmatic hernia is an emergency that requires surgery. Surgery is done to place the abdominal organs into the proper position and repair the opening in the diaphragm.Baby needs ventilator soon after birth and thus good Obstetrician,Neonatology department and Paeds surgeon.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002936.htm
Prognosis
With advances in neonatal and surgical care, survival is now greater than 80%.
I was happy that though I can't guaranty a full recovery for this unborn child but with a good team of doctors and a good nursery at our Hospital I could give some hope to a distraught father.
Not a routine health blog.Written by a Gurgaon IVFspecialist working in an Indian Corporate Hospital (Artemis Hospital,Gurgaon with personal clinic at Nirvana Courtyard, Nirvana Country,Gurgaon)addressing various aspects ofInfertility,IVF and women health in general,Pregnancy,ups and downs of patients and doctors and their interpersonal relationships.Mostly sweet,sometimes sour,just the way life is .........
2 comments:
My daughter was born in 2006 with Severe CDH. Wow is it a medical roller-coaster ride but worth every second. Our daughter still suffers from complication of this horrible birth defect.I encourage expectant CDH parents to hold onto hope and to learn all they can about this defect.
Thanks for talking about this subject as many are not aware of this devastating birth defect called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia! I've made it my mission in life to make others aware and to educate about CDH. You can read more of my daughter's story at: http://avaslifewithcdh.blogspot.com
~Terri L. Helmick
Thanks Terri for sharing your experience and I am sure that it will help those brave parents like you who are helping their child fight this serious condition.
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