When a baby is diagnosed antenatally with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) or abdominal wall defects like Omphalocele and Gastroschisis, delivering at a tertiary pediatric surgery center with an attached Level 4 NICU is critical.

Understanding Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)

In CDH, an opening in the diaphragm allows abdominal organs (stomach, intestines, liver) to migrate into the chest cavity, compressing the developing fetal lungs and causing pulmonary hypoplasia and severe pulmonary hypertension.

Immediate Postnatal Stabilization Before Surgery

Surgery is not an emergency on day one; gentle lung-protective stabilization is. At Safe Kids, our neonatologists stabilize pulmonary pressures using High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation (HFOV) and inhaled nitric oxide before Dr. Murali Krishna performs surgical reduction.

Staged Abdominal Wall Closure for Omphalocele

For large abdominal wall defects, placing a sterile silicone silo allows organs to gradually return to the abdominal cavity under gravity over several days, avoiding sudden diaphragm elevation and respiratory arrest.

Doctor's Clinical Insight: "Having Avighna Births maternity suites right next to our neonatal surgical operating theaters eliminates dangerous transport delays for fragile newborns." — Dr. Murali Krishna, MCh