Dong Nai Children's Hospital treats newborn with gastroschisis

Surgeons at Dong Nai Children's Hospital successfully performed emergency surgery on a five-hour-old newborn girl born with gastroschisis. The infant, born prematurely at 36 weeks weighing 1.8 kg, was found with her entire small intestine and most of her large intestine protruding through a 3 cm defect in the abdominal wall.

Medical teams provided resuscitation and completed the surgical procedure within seven hours of the infant's birth. The surgery involved returning the intestines to the abdominal cavity and repairing the abdominal wall. Seven days post-operation, the patient has begun drinking milk and shows signs of healthy recovery, with discharge expected soon.

Dr. Nguyen Tuan Thanh noted that gastroschisis is a congenital defect where the abdominal wall layers are missing, typically to the right of the navel, leaving the intestines exposed without a protective sac. The hospital treats approximately four to five such cases annually.