Baby's intestines pushed out of belly button after parents make incision to 'let the air out'

Baby's intestines pushed out of belly button after parents make incision to 'let the air out'
PHOTO: Weibo

A baby in China was left with his intestines hanging outside his body, after his parents took a knife to his belly to 'let the wind out'.

The child's 26-year-old parents had taken matters into their own hands, after noticing that their month-old son had an unusual bulge at his stomach

However, they noticed that part of the baby's small intestine began to peek out from the incision made at his belly button, with more of the organ being pushed out as the baby's cries intensified. 

The incident happened in Ningbo city in Zhejiang province, reported China News last Thursday (Jan 24). The boy is reportedly the couple's fifth child. 

By the time the 41-day-old baby was rushed to the hospital, his face had turned pale, and his extremities ice cold. His body had also started to show signs of going into shock.

More alarmingly, about 50cm of his small intestine had 'escaped' through his belly button, and about half of it had turned black due to exposure. 

Fortunately, doctors managed to preserve the affected part of the organ instead of having to remove it. 

Said the director of the paediatric surgery department at Ningbo Women and Children hospital: "It's the first time I've come across such a case that's caused by the parents' ignorance. Fortunately, the blade did not touch the small intestines, or it could have been fatal."

He added that the child was suffering from a condition called umbilical hernia, where the abdominal wall behind the naval does not join completely even after the umbilical cord has dropped off. This may cause abdominal fat or parts of the intestine to bulge through the weak spot around the belly button.

According to a Zhejiang News report, it is a common condition which affects up to 10 per cent of children under the age of two. Surgery may be necessary if it has not resolved by the time the child is four.

The baby was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after the one-hour emergency surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery if he gets through the first few days without any complications, said the doctor. 

candicec@sph.com.sg

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