Cleft lip surgery is a serious procedure that requires extensive planning on not only the surgeon’s part, but also the family of the newborn with a birth defect. After thorough consultations and examinations, your physician may choose to perform a cleft lip surgery. If so, your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits along with steps to be taken before the surgery. Birth defects are troubling for both the family and the child and the risk of oral malformations is increased with the use of Topamax during pregnancy.
The Surgical Process
Diagnostic screenings will be needed in order to avoid reactions from the medications that will be given to your new baby for the surgery. The first phase of the surgery is the anesthesia. The anesthesia will be administered to your baby to put him or her in a “sleep like coma” to avoid pain. The sedation can be given generally or intravenously, and will be chosen depending on your doctor’s recommendations. Next, an incision will be made on either side of the cleft. This flap will then be sewn together to close the cleft. If the incision is successful the surgery is complete and your baby will wake up when the sedation wears off. Once your child is awake, it is important to closely follow the surgeon’s suggestions on caring for the wound. Certain medications may be taken orally or applied directly to the incision to aid in preventing infection and strengthening the new formation. There will be specific feeding restrictions for your child which your doctor will suggest for you. Following surgery, you may find your baby restrained to keep him or her from touching the surgical site until it heals. This surgery is the first of the process to correct clefts, and depending on the outcome of this surgery and your child’s individual case, he or she may need to undergo follow up procedures for health or cosmetic reasons.
Birth Defect Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If your child was recently born with a birth defect, such as cleft lip or cleft palate, and you believe it may be attributed to your use of Topamax during pregnancy, you most likely have a list of questions. Please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
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Most children with these birth defects require a first, initial surgery as early as 3 months. These surgeries are often invasive and require tedious work on behalf of the plastic surgeon. This initial surgery is crucial to preventing disease from forming in the exposed region of the cleft lip, and to providing a healthier dentition. This preliminary surgery helps restore the actual structure of the face. 
Among a myriad of errors that hospital employees can make on the job, the following seem to be the ones that occur most often: 
When a cleft does not affect the mouth’s palate structure it is referred to as cleft lip. Cleft lips can occur on one or both sides of the lip which are generally referred to as unilateral or bilateral clefts. The first category of cleft lip is known as an incomplete cleft. An incomplete, or partial, cleft lip occurs at the top of the lip. The cleft appears as a small gap or indentation that does not reach the nose.
Birth injury due to shoulder dystocia can be reduced by proper, non-negligent care by an obstetrician. One of the most important things the obstetrician must do is to recognize shoulder dystocia when it is happening. A sure sign that shoulder dystocia could be complicating the birthing process is when the baby’s body does not emerge with the typical pushing and standard movements normally used by the obstetrician to facilitate the birth. Another indicator is the “turtle sign”. This is when the baby’s head emerges and then retracts back like a turtle pulling back into its shell. This retraction occurs because the baby’s anterior shoulder is stuck. When shoulder dystocia has been determined, a backup obstetrician should be called and the delivery team should ready themselves for any possible complications. 
The federally backed watchdog that performed the investigations, Equip for Equality, found the care provisions at Alden Village North deplorable. Illnesses were never treated properly, lab tests and results went ignored, doctors failed to return pages of medical charts, and investigations into resident deaths were superficial and incomplete. 
The study gave imipramine, a commonly prescribed antidepressant, to injured lab mice. Researcher, Dr. Jason Huang, associate professor of neurosurgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center and chief of neurosurgery at Highland Hospital in New York, found that the mice treated with imipramine showed 70% more brain cell growth than the mice that were not treated with the drug. In addition to cell growth, the treated mice also displayed, through behavioral testing, improved memory skills. 
Psychosocial problems are not a definite side effect of birth defects and generally, when children have their cleft lip operated upon soon after birth they will have a strong recovery and a healthy social life. The risk in adolescents is far greater when they suffer from birth defects and this may lead to self-esteem, social, and behavioral issues. As children grow older, dealing with a cleft lip may lead to issues relating to self concept, relationships with their peers, and worries with their appearance. During the preschool years, ages three through five, children who have a cleft lip or cleft palate tend to be on par with peers without any oral malformations with regards to self-concept. As children grow older however, they may feel increased pressure and face more social issues. As children have increased interaction with other kids, children who have clefts tend to have more dissatisfaction with relationships with peers and have an increased level of social anxiety. With age, children will generally experience increased social anxiety and pressures with regards to their cleft. These visible deformities may yield a stigma and it is best to have birth defects treated as soon as possible in order to limit the social issues children face as they age.