Johns Hopkins Medicine’s fetal therapy and obstetrics team provides coordinated, multidisciplinary care for babies diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia [1].
This approach is critical because congenital diaphragmatic hernia, or CDH, affects the development of the diaphragm and lungs. By initiating care before delivery, medical teams can mitigate risks and stabilize the infant immediately upon birth.
Care planning begins as soon as a CDH diagnosis is made during pregnancy [1]. The process takes place at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland [2]. The strategy relies on a unified team that coordinates every step of the treatment process to optimize the baby's health outcomes [1].
"When a baby is diagnosed with CDH, care begins long before delivery," Johns Hopkins Medicine said. "Our coordinated team works together to plan every step, so your baby has the best possible start" [1].
The multidisciplinary model ensures that various specialists, including fetal therapists and obstetricians, are aligned on the delivery and immediate postnatal interventions [1, 2]. This coordination aims to reduce the fragmentation of care that can occur when specialists work in isolation during high-risk pregnancies.
By integrating prenatal diagnosis with a structured delivery plan, the team seeks to provide a seamless transition from the womb to the neonatal intensive care unit [1]. This systemic planning is designed to address the complex respiratory and anatomical challenges associated with the condition [2].
“Care planning begins as soon as a CDH diagnosis is made during pregnancy.”
The shift toward multidisciplinary prenatal planning for CDH reflects a broader trend in fetal medicine where intervention begins in utero. By treating the pregnancy as the first stage of the infant's surgical and respiratory recovery, hospitals can improve survival rates for a condition that historically carries high neonatal mortality.
