Medicover doctors conduct hernia surgery without general anesthesia

Metro India News | Hyderabad

Doctors at Medicover Woman & Child Hospital successfully performed bilateral inguinal hernia surgery on a baby born at just 27 weeks of gestation, using awake caudal anesthesia instead of general anesthesia or sedation.

Doctors diagnosed the baby with bilateral inguinal hernias, a condition that is relatively common among premature infants. Considering the baby’s history of extreme prematurity and the associated risk of breathing complications, the anesthesia team decided to avoid general anesthesia.

Instead, the team used awake caudal anesthesia, a regional technique that blocks pain from the lower part of the body while allowing the baby to continue breathing independently. Dr. Gowri Shankar, HOD – Anaesthesia, Medicover Woman & Child Hospital mentioned that such babies are particularly vulnerable to respiratory complications and the aim was to provide effective pain relief while minimizing exposure to general anesthesia and sedative medicines.

The bilateral inguinal hernia repair (herniotomy) was performed by Senior Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Madhu Mohan. The procedure was carried out under continuous monitoring by the anesthesia and surgical teams. The baby tolerated the surgery well and remained stable after the procedure. Following postoperative observation, the infant was discharged the next day.