Obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract in infants.

An attempt has been made in the foregoing to mention some of the gastrointestinal anomalies that are occasionally met, even thought many of the congenital defects are relatively uncommon in their occurrence. Any or all of them should be kept in mind in the newborn when it does not follow the usual course of events in regard to intake of formula, or other unusual developments within the first few days of life. There has been no effort made to set out the actual surgical management of the situation that presents itself. Rather an effort has been made to stress prodromal symptoms, physical and roentgenologic findings. Careful preoperative preparation of these infants must be stressed time and again. Actually, the preoperative preparation is of much greater importance than the mechanical management of the defect present from a surgical standpoint. A newborn with an obstructive lesion and in whom the blood chemistry and protein values are unbalanced is a poor surgical risk. After careful restoration of these values, the infants tolerate major surgery remarkably well.