lunes, 19 de marzo de 2012

Robby's Story: Saving Babies With CDH | Medical News and Health Information

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Robby's Story: Saving Babies With CDH | Medical News and Health Information




“Robby's Story: Saving Babies With CDH -- Research Summary

BACKGROUND: A congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is when there is an absence of a child's diaphragm, or a hole in their diaphragm. This most commonly occurs on the left side, but can occur on either the left or right side. The contents of the child’s abdomen, including their stomach, intestines, liver and spleen may go through the hole and into his or her chest. This prevents the normal development of the lung on that side, and may affect the growth of the other lung. (SOURCE: www.childrenshospital.org)


TYPES OF HERNIAS: There are two types of diaphragmatic hernias; the most common kind is a Bochdalek hernia. This type of hernia occurs when the stomach, intestines, and liver or spleen usually move up into the chest cavity because of an opening on the back side of the diaphragm. The second type of hernia- a Morgagni hernia- is considered to be rare and involves an opening in the front of the diaphragm, just behind the breastbone. With either of these hernias the liver or intestines may move up into the chest cavity. (SOURCE: www.childrenshospital.org)


CAUSES: A diaphragmatic hernia is caused by the incorrect joining of structures during fetal development. As a result, the abdominal organs such as the stomach, small intestine, spleen, part of the liver, and the kidney appear in the chest cavity. Therefore, the lung tissue on the affected side is not allowed to completely develop.
Most diaphragmatic hernias affect the left side. Having a parent or sibling with the condition slightly increases your risk. (SOURCE: health.nytimes.com)


SYMPTOMS: Some symptoms a child with diaphragmatic hernia may experience are ineffective movements of the diaphragm. Crowding of the lung tissue may also occur causing the infant to have severe difficulty breathing shortly after birth. The baby may turn bluish in color, have a rapid heart rate, and experience rapid breathing. (SOURCE: health.nytimes.com)


LATEST BREAKTHROUGHS: The method of treatment for infants with CDH is for a doctor to perform a surgery which places organs into the correct place and then closing the opening made in the diaphragm. Breathing support is needed after surgery. Sometimes, a heart/lung bypass machine is also used to help the lungs heal. The outcome of surgery depends on how well the baby’s lungs have developed. Doctors at Cincinnati Children’s hospital have shown that it is better to wait up to 6 weeks before performing the surgery. They have also found success by treating the baby's high blood pressure with medication. By waiting to perform surgery they allow the baby’s lungs to grow, which has been shown to greatly increase their chance of survival. Mortality has decreased thanks to the Cincinnati Children's team, but CDH deaths continue to remain high with a mortality rate of about 20% to 60%. (SOURCE: www.cincinnatichildrens.org, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) MORE


FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Paul Kingma MD, PhD
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
(513) 803-0957
paul.kingma@cchmc.org


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Robby's Story: Saving Babies With CDH-- Doctor's In Depth Interview | Medical News and Health Information

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