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When Baby Needs Surgery
When Baby Needs SurgeryNarratorThere is a chance that your baby will require surgery. Now some surgeries are minor in nature and some arefor more major conditions such as correcting birth defects. It’s never easy to hear that your baby needssurgery.Sue Hall, MD, NeonatologistWhen a parent hears "surgery", they're normally going to be quite frightened. But what they need tounderstand is that the team of people taking care of their baby will be highly skilled in taking care of babies.Daniel Deguatre, MDMost centers that perform surgery in premature infants and newborns are well equipped with specialists,surgical specialists, anesthesia specialists and OR specialists, nurses in the operating room who feel verycomfortable with taking care of infants as small as a pound in weight.NarratorBabies who are possible candidates for surgery will undergo pre-operative tests to confirm the diagnosisbefore surgery. Parents whose baby will undergo surgery need to be aware of the specific risks and benefits ofthe procedure.Mitchell Goldstein, MDOften times it's about calming the parents and explaining that there are risks and there are benefits to the ideaof doing surgery, to have the surgeon address and basically relieve any of the fears or concerns they have.Sue Hall, MD, NeonatologistThere have been tremendous advances in pediatric and neonatal surgery over the last number of years. Andthe outcome for these surgeries in general is good.NarratorThere are some hospitals that are specially equipped to perform surgery and that might mean your baby will betransferred from one hospital to another.Lashinique Parker, MotherThey're transporting her back to RCRMC in this little incubator right here. They’re just waiting for the nursesand doctors to get ready.Sue Hall, MD, NeonatologistWhile a baby may be admitted to one NICU after birth and then require surgery. And if they are at a communityhospital that doesn't have a pediatric surgeon, they may need to be transferred to a facility that does.Lashinique Parker, MotherWhen I found out my baby had a heart condition I was just so terrified. And she had to get transported to LomaLinda. But I'm so glad she came, and she overcame it, one big obstacle.NarratorOne of the more common surgeries is to fix heart conditions.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.NICU00019A EN WhenBabyNeedsSurgery.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 2When Baby Needs SurgeryMark Slansky, MDAs a pediatric cardiologist, I recognize it's a very scary thing when a parent learns that their child has a heartdefect of any kind. Having said that, PDA or patent ductus arteriosus is one of the most common and, thesurgery for PDA is very, very straightforward with a very, very low complication rate.ParentsOur baby has congenital heart defects. So she's had heart surgery.When she went into surgery, it's very, very tough. It is, it pulls on your heartstrings.NarratorPain management for your newborn will be something your doctors will pay special attention to.Daniel Deguatre, MDAmazingly, newborns usually recover from surgery better than adults would. They seem to have less pain.They're pretty much lying down not doing too much. And the incisions we use tend to be a little bit smaller. Soin general, the newborns actually tolerate the procedures much better than adults do.NarratorSurgery on a newborn is never easy, but rest assured, the NICU staff is doing everything possible to help youwith your baby during the recovery time.Lashinique Parker, MotherJust ask the nurses all the questions you have. Try to get a support team, family, friends. If you need to cry,just cry, just let it out. You still have to be strong for your child of course.The outcome was wonderful. She's still fighting on. She's actually breathing much better than she was before.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.NICU00019A EN WhenBabyNeedsSurgery.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 2
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