Anatomy of CDH | CDH Treatments | CDH Stats | CDH Q&A
There are various treatments for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, dependent upon the size of the hernia, time of diagnosis and other factors such as maternal health, secondary medical issues, genetic defects.
You can read more about repair and recovery in the CDH Parent Reference Guide.
FETO (Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion) – A balloon will be placed in your unborn baby’s airway. The balloon blocks the baby’s airway and remains in place for a few weeks. Fluid builds and the lungs grow. Bigger lungs may improve survival. Several weeks later, the balloon will be removed from your unborn baby’s airway in order for her lungs to mature.
Tracheal Ligation/Occlusion – An in-utero procedure that clamps off the baby’s trachea, causing the lungs to grow and pushing the organs back into the abdominal cavity.
ECMO (Extracorpeal Membrane Oxygenation) – A very large and complex machine that takes over the work of the patient’s heart and lungs. A large catheter is placed in an artery in the patient’s neck to remove blood, which is then oxygenated and returned to the patient.
EXIT to ECMO – A procedure that places the baby on ECMO immediately after birth before the baby can take a breath of his or her own.This procedure utilizes the baby’s umbilical cord to avoid the more invasive insertion of the ECMO tube through the carotid artery.
Nitric Oxide – inhaled gas that allows the lungs to expand. Often a step before ECMO.
Mechanical Ventilator – A machine that helps your baby breathe or breathes for him when he’s not breathing on his own. It works by pushing warm air and oxygen into the lungs through a breathing tube called an endotracheal tube. The provider sets the amount of oxygen.
HFV (high-frequency ventilator) – A machine that gives hundreds of tiny breaths per minute. Oscillating and jet ventilators are examples of high-frequency ventilators.
Artificial Placenta – A procedure that removes the baby from the uterus in the second trimester, repairs her hernia and then places the baby in an artificial womb for the duration of gestation. The baby is then delivered by “artificial C-Section” from the container. Human trials were not available yet as of early 2019.
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