Pediatric surgeon Mark Molitor, MD, director of ECMO and Phoenix Children’s Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Clinic , explains diaphragmatic hernias and what makes the program that treats them at Phoenix Children’s so unique in Arizona and around the world.
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Dia formatic. Hers happened about one in 5000 births. A dima cardia is a defect in a newborn baby where the diaphragm or the muscle that separates the abdomen from the chest doesn't form correctly. That defect can allow the abdominal contents to move up into the chest which then changes how the heart lungs are formed, uh which relate then lead to several um abnormalities in the baby. Early diagnosis is important because it can help the parents decide when and how they're going to deliver. The team at Phoenix. Children's has really done a lot to change the care of diaphragmatic hernia. In the Phoenix area. We have a team that we have built of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, you name it. We're all involved in taking care of the baby. And the thing that I think we pride ourselves in is that we not only take care of the baby, but we take care of the family. The C DH program at Phoenix Children's is unique in the state and relief around the world. We've improved our outcomes immensely from that sort of 50 to 60% survival. Now, our overall survival in Phoenix is nearing 80%. The program at Phoenix Children's has really grown over the past several years and we have really revolutionized our program.
