Cleft Lip And Cleft Palate Flashcards
What is the most common anomalies associated with cleft lip and cleft palate?
- heart defects
- ear malformations
- skeletal deformities
- GU abnormalities
How does it develop?
There is a failure of soft tissue or bony structure to fuse during embryonic development
What are the complications?
feeding difficulties, altered dentition, delayed or altered speech development, and otitis media. The infant with cleft lip may have difficulty forming an adequate seal around a nipple in order to create the necessary suction for feeding and may also experience excessive air intake. Gagging, choking, and nasal regurgitation of milk may occur in babies with cleft palate
Speech delay
The opening in the cleft palate contributes to buildup of fluid in the middle ear (otitis media with effusion), which can lead to an acute infection (acute otitis media). Long-lasting otitis media with effusion leads to temporary and sometimes permanent hearing loss
Management/Tx:
- cleft lip has been repaired surgically around the age of 2 to 3 months and cleft palate at 6 to 9 months. Early repair of the cleft lip restores a normal appearance to the child’s face and may improve parent–infant bonding.
How to prevent injury to the suture line?
- do not let infant rub the area, position in supine of side lying position or arm restraints
- using petroleum jelly on the facial suture line or a lip-protective device such as a Logan bow (curved thin metal apparatus) or a butterfly adhesive, both of which protect and maintain the suture line. Protect the palate operative site.
- avoid spoon, straw, pacifier or plastic syringe
- prevent vigorous crying in infants
How to promote adequate nutrition?
- breastfeeding is allowed immediately after postoperative
- In the bottle-fed infant special nipples or feeders may have to be used.
- When the suture line is healed, ordinary feeding may resume
