Mohali: A successful life-saving surgery was performed at Park Hospital, Mohali, on a 16-hour-old newborn suffering from a rare condition known as Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH).
CDH is a serious congenital disorder affecting approximately 1 in 10,000 newborns. It involves a hole in the diaphragm that allows abdominal organs to shift into the chest cavity, thereby impairing lung development and breathing.
The condition was detected in the newborn via prenatal ultrasound during pregnancy. Immediately after birth, the baby developed breathing difficulties and was promptly shifted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Park Hospital for stabilization and ventilator support.
During the examination, doctors discovered that the right lobe of the liver, the gallbladder, and parts of the small and large intestines had shifted into the right chest cavity, significantly compressing the developing lungs.
After carefully stabilizing the baby's condition, Dr. Harshita Kaur, a Pediatric Surgeon and Pediatric Urologist at Park Hospital, Mohali, performed a successful life-saving surgery.
Dr. Kaur explained that timely prenatal diagnosis, proper delivery planning, stabilization by specialist doctors, and timely surgery are the key factors that improve survival rates and long-term outcomes for babies born with CDH.
During the surgery, the displaced abdominal organs were carefully repositioned into the abdominal cavity, and the defect in the diaphragm—measuring approximately 3 x 2 centimeters—was successfully repaired.
Post-surgery, the baby was placed under specialized care and ventilator support in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The baby has now been successfully taken off the ventilator and is able to tolerate full milk feeds. Significant improvement in the baby's health is being observed, and only occasional, minor respiratory support is now required while the lungs gradually heal.