About this topic
The pylorus is the muscle connecting your childs stomach to the intestines. This muscle controls the flow of stomach contents into the intestines. Sometimes in babies, this muscle becomes narrow and thick, and food is blocked in the stomach. This problem is called pyloric stenosis. With pyloric stenosis, your child has problems digesting food. Many children throw up forcefully. This sign may start as early as 3 to 12 weeks old. Sometimes, children do not show signs until later in childhood. ‚
The doctor may do surgery to fix the problem. This is a pyloromyotomy. The doctor will open and spread the thick muscles. This will treat the cause of narrowing of the stomach opening. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do to care for your child.
- Lift your baby by supporting the bottom and the head. Do not carry your baby with one arm on your side. This can put pressure on the wound and may cause pain.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your childs cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change the bandages
- When your child may take a bath or shower
- When your child may go back to normal activities like daycare or school
What follow-up care is needed?
- The doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your childs progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- If your child has stitches or staples, they will need to be taken out. The doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Prevent or fight an infection
Will physical activity be limited?
You may have to limit your childs activity for a few days. Talk to your doctor about the right amount of activity for your child. ‚
What changes to diet are needed?
- Ask your doctor about feeding your child after the surgery and how much food or formula your child can have.
- Burp your child gently in a sitting position.
What problems could happen?
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Leaking of the stomach contents
- Slight throwing up or wet burps happen for up to 7 days after the surgery
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher; change in the sound of your babys cry; crying too much; muscles become stiff; bulging or fullness of the soft spot on your baby's head; if you feel your child is lethargic, irritable, or confused; if your child has a faster or slower heart rate; or decreased amount of urine.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Your child is throwing up more than right after surgery or is not able to keep fluids down.
- If your child is not eating or drinking or appears to be in a lot of pain.
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you about your child. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my childs procedure.
- I can tell you how to care for my child's cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if my child has a fever, is throwing up more, or is not able to keep fluids down.
Where can I learn more?
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/digestive/pyloric_stenosis.html ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚