4-month-old Jack Hearn from Ireland was born with a diagnosis of gastroschisis (a congenital defect of the anterior abdominal wall, in which intestinal loops sometimes fall out of the abdominal cavity through a cleft). His intestines and bladder were outside.
Despite the terrible appearance of the anomaly, the boy did not die after birth, moreover, he went through two difficult operations, when all of his organs were placed in the abdominal cavity.
The baby's mother says their son was diagnosed with a developmental abnormality when she was 20 weeks pregnant. This greatly upset both parents, they did not know how to react to it, since they did not know anything about a rare defect.
After the fetus was diagnosed with a developmental anomaly, doctors began to monitor him and at 37 weeks labor was induced. To save himself from infections, immediately after birth, Jack was wrapped in a transparent film.
- I was so happy when I heard that he was crying. And the team of doctors immediately wrapped him in plastic and took him to intensive care, where he had to wait for the operation. I was horrified to see what he looked like, but nothing happened. Fortunately, everything happened as planned and they managed to place all of his organs in the abdominal cavity, and only a small scar near the navel remained outside.
Jack's first surgery was performed shortly after birth, with part of his organs inside. The rest were left for the second operation, and while it was waiting, the external organs were placed in a special bag, which was hung over the child's body. The bowel loops had to slide into the abdominal cavity, and then the hole could then be sewn up without problems with a minimum of stitches.
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The second operation was performed shortly after the first. After her, the parents were told that they would wait at least 3 months for the child to fully recover, but Jack quickly and safely recovered and after a month the child was allowed to be taken home.
It was a huge relief for the Hearn family. They were looking forward to this child, since the first pregnancy ended in miscarriage.
For reference. In the UK, about 1 in 3,000 children are born with gastroschisis every year. Worldwide statistics of gastroschisis incidence 1: 10,000 births.
The exact cause of the anomaly is unknown. Young mothers, smoking, drugs, and infections during pregnancy can be critical factors. In a recent study, the effect of changing paternity (having children from different men) was found to be a factor in an increased risk of gastroschisis. It is believed that the mother's immune system may play a role in the development of gastroschisis.
Gastroschisis as a congenital defect can be inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. But sometimes it can be a sporadic mutation, sometimes not associated with gene mutations, and sometimes it can be inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. (multifactor inheritance).
With the development of surgery in modern conditions and intensive care, the mortality rate of infants with gastroschisis has decreased to 30% (in some clinics of the world up to 10%). The overall prognosis for successfully operated children is favorable.