Delivery and Treatment of Babies with Gastroschisis (6 of 11)

To provide the best outcome, it's important to carefully monitor babies with gastroschisis during and after delivery. http://fetalsurgery.chop.edu

Experts from the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia discuss the signs to watch for and the crucial steps that must be taken during and immediately after delivery to ensure successful management of gastroschisis.

After delivery, babies are moved to an adjacent stabilization room where breathing is assessed and an NG tube is placed to decompress the intestine. It’s important to keep the bowel decompressed to prevent the reflux of gastric contents into the lungs.

Repair of gastroschisis involves returning the organs back into the abdomen. After that, the abdominal wall is closed surgically. There are two approaches: an immediate primary gastroschisis repair or a staged repair.

In primary repair, babies undergo surgical repair immediately after birth. The intestine is returned to the abdominal cavity and the abdominal wall is closed during a single procedure.

In staged repair, a spring-loaded silo (pouch) is placed around the herniated bowel. The bowel is then slowly and gently pushed back into a baby’s abdomen over the course of a few days, before surgical closure of the abdominal wall is performed.