Umbilical cord infection

Introduction The umbilical cord is the only channel between the mother and the fetus. The mother supplies the nutrients to the baby through the umbilical vein, and the waste in the fetus is transported to the mother through the umbilical artery, and the mother replaces the excretion. After the fetus leaves the mother, the umbilical cord completes its historical mission and will naturally fall off. The umbilical cord is a prone site for neonatal infection. If not treated properly, the bacteria will enter the bloodstream through the umbilical cord, causing systemic infection, leading to neonatal sepsis. The umbilical cord usually falls off five to seven days after the birth of the newborn. The umbilical cord is an elongated band-like structure connecting the fetus to the placenta. The shape of the umbilical cord is like a rope. The umbilical cord of a full-term gestational fetus is about 50 cm long, which is conducive to the free movement of the embryo body in the amniotic cavity. The surface of the umbilical cord is smooth and contains a layer of amniotic membrane containing connective tissue, an umbilical vein and two umbilical arteries. The allantoic remnant is sometimes seen in the umbilical cord near the umbilical end. The umbilical artery transports the blood containing metabolic waste in the fetus to the placenta for substance exchange; the umbilical vein sends the fresh blood of the placenta to the fetus for the nutrients needed for embryo growth and development. Therefore, the umbilical cord is the nutrient and metabolism of the fetus and the mother. The passage of material exchange. The umbilical cord of the fetus should be cut off from the base during childbirth and properly wrapped after disinfection to prevent infection and bleeding.

Cause

It takes about five to seven days for the cut umbilical cord to fall off. During this time, if the umbilical cord is wet and dirty, the baby is susceptible to infection.

After the umbilical cord is cut, the wound surface is formed. This is an important portal for bacteria to invade the baby. Light can cause umbilical inflammation, and severe cases often lead to sepsis and death. Therefore, the disinfection care of the umbilical cord is very important:

1. Before the umbilical cord has not fallen off, do not force it to peel off. If the ligature is detached, it should be re-ligated.

2, need to keep the local clean and dry, especially the diaper do not cover the umbilicus, so as to avoid urine and fecal contamination of the umbilical wound.

3, should always check whether there is oozing outside the bandaged gauze, if there is bleeding, you need to re-ligation to stop bleeding.

4. After bathing every day, expose the umbilical area with a 75% alcohol swab. Wipe it from the umbilical root to the surrounding area. Do not rub it back and forth to avoid bringing the bacteria on the surrounding skin into the umbilical root.

5, then cover the sterile gauze, and fix the gauze; if there is purulent secretion in the umbilicus, the surrounding skin is red, indicating that the infection is heavier, use 75% alcohol to scrub 3 to 4 times, do not apply gentian Purple, because gentian violet can make the surface of the umbilicus scarring, so that the internal secretions can not be discharged, so that the infection is aggravated to form an underarm.

an examination

Related inspection

Ratio of fetal umbilical arterial systolic pressure to diastolic blood pressure

The umbilical cord is the only channel between the mother and the fetus. The mother supplies the nutrients to the baby through the umbilical vein, and the waste in the fetus is transported to the mother through the umbilical artery, and the mother replaces the excretion. After the fetus leaves the mother, the umbilical cord completes its historical mission and will naturally fall off. If you consider the infection, you should do blood culture, abnormal neonatal response, elevated body temperature, pus in the affected area.

note:

If granulation tissue, purulent secretion, redness or odor is found in the umbilical root, the skin around the umbilical cord is red and swollen, or the child is accompanied by fever, milk is not fragrant, and the spirit is not good, indicating that there is infection. You should consult a doctor to prevent it from happening. septicemia.

Differential diagnosis

Neonatal sepsis caused by other causes needs to be determined by blood culture.

1. Wet navel has blood or pus: most of the bottom of the navel is wet for the first 2 to 3 days after the umbilical cord falls off, because the underlying skin has not yet grown, so the mucous membrane will have some secretions, but if it falls off After one week, there is still secretion, it is not normal.

2. Continuous flow of watery liquid: In a very small number of cases, it may indicate that there is a passage (umbilical urethral) in the small intestine or bladder in the abdomen and the abdomen, which requires medical treatment; it is easy to cause infection in the abdomen, so it is possible Surgery is required to remove this pathway.

3. Navel secretion with bloodshot or blood clot: indicates that the wound is not completely healed, need to see a doctor and deal with it.

4. The navel has yellow sticky secretions, and even has a foul smell: it means that the bottom of the navel is inflamed, need to be thoroughly cleaned daily, or see a doctor for further treatment.

5. Redness around the navel: inflammation.

6. There is a red-white small sarcoma at the bottom of the navel: it means that the navel wound is not healed. The sarcoma will grow longer and bigger, and its presence will hinder the growth of the normal skin at the wound. Therefore, you need to find a doctor to remove the sarcoma as soon as possible.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments.