Can cleft palate cause death?!


Question:

Can cleft palate cause death?

Can cleft palate cause death?


Answers:

Uh, that's a NO. Unrepaired clefts can cause feeding problems, though. In the western world, there are palatal obturators that plug the defect so a baby can eat. They can also be gavage fed ( placing a tube into the stomach via the throat for each feeding).
Once a baby reaches 10 pounds in weight, it can undergo general anasthesia to have the lip closed. The hard palate typically is closed at about 12 months, and the soft palate at 16 months. By doing all 3 operations by 16-18 months, speech development remains within normal limits.
Fortunately, cleft lip/palate is the easiest birth defect to correct. It is also the most common, occuring in 1 in 700 live births.




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