Cleft palate surgery cost

Cleft palate surgery is a surgical procedure that involves the reconstruction or the repair of a damaged cleft palate. This deformity is commonly suffered by babies upon birth. Our cleft palate is essential in speech and in eating. A lot of babies are born with this condition and in order for them to have a better future; a cleft palate surgery should be performed while they are still young. This way the patient will acquire a normal speech pattern and would have better swallowing, breathing as well as eating.

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Cleft palate surgery usually takes 2 to 3 hours to finish.

Aftercare for Cleft Palate Surgery

It is vital to be careful and follow the proper aftercare regimen after a cleft palate surgery. This will aid in faster healing and comfort of your child.

• After the surgery, the intravenous fluid will serve as the baby’s source of nutrients for the time being. Feeding or giving milk will be done gradually in small amounts, but be sure to observe your baby’s response to feeding. Your doctor will assess your baby’s progress on taking in foods or liquids given to him/her. Be sure to follow proper positioning of your baby while feeding in order to prevent damage to the cleft repair. The most important thing to keep in mind is to not direct the food or fluid up the palate to prevent injury.

• Always keep an eye on your baby. If you want to sleep or if you have an errand to attend to, have someone watch her/him. Be sure that the baby does not pull on or touch the spot where the cleft palate surgery was done in order to assure quick healing of the palate.

• After the surgery, stitches and a packing called “surgisel” will be visible on your baby. Keep in mind that the stitches will disappear on their own after 4 or more days and that you are not authorized to remove the packing from your baby. Wait for the doctor’s go signal before you remove it, or better yet, let the doctor remove the packing instead.

• Do not be alarmed by the sight of swelling and bleeding on your baby’s mouth and nose after the cleft palate surgery. It is just normal and this will lessen after a day. Your doctor will also prescribe medicines to ease your baby’s pain caused by the surgery.

• Also remember that it is normal for your baby to suffer episodes of nasal congestion which would lead your baby to snort, breathe through his/her mouth and have poor appetite. This is just normal considering that the wounds are still fresh from surgery. The doctor will prescribe a nasal spray to ease the nasal congestion. You should religiously follow the proper way to administer the spray. In order to make sure that you get it right, have the doctor demonstrate on how to do this.

• Because your baby just underwent an operation, antibiotics and pain relievers will be prescribed to your baby. This will be initially given through your baby’s IV line but will be continued orally when you get home. Do not forget to follow the proper instructions on the administration of these medicines.