Formation of pediatric inguinal hernia Pediatric inguinal hernia is a common congenital developmental anomaly in which the contents of the abdominal cavity protrude through the unclosed sheath into the inguinal region or scrotum when there is a pressure difference due to an unclosed peritoneal sheath. Clinical symptoms of pediatric inguinal hernia A reversible mass appears in the inguinal region when standing or bearing weight, and the mass can be retracted into the abdominal cavity when resting or being pushed by hand. The mass is soft and may reach the scrotum or labia majora. On physical examination, an enlargement of the external orifice of the inguinal canal and a sensation of impact on coughing may be found. The danger of pediatric inguinal hernia is that the inguinal hernia can become embedded. An embedded inguinal hernia is characterized by a sudden enlargement of the inguinal or scrotal (labia majora) mass, which is tense and hard and accompanied by significant pain, and cannot be returned to the abdominal cavity by pushing. If the embedded contents are intestinal, signs of mechanical intestinal obstruction may be present. In male children, an incarcerated hernia can affect the blood supply to the spermatic cord and, in severe cases, can cause necrosis of the ipsilateral testis. In female children, recurrent inguinal hernias with the ovaries and fallopian tubes as hernia contents can cause adhesions of the adnexa in adulthood. Treatment of pediatric inguinal hernias Follow-up studies have found that inguinal hernias have the potential to heal spontaneously in infants under half a year of age. After half a year of age, the chance of self-healing decreases significantly. Therefore, children aged >6 months with a clear diagnosis of inguinal hernia should be treated surgically. Postoperative complications of pediatric inguinal hernia 1. intraoperative and postoperative bleeding; postoperative infection and fever; 2. postoperative inguinal recurrence (ipsilateral or contralateral); 3. postoperative scrotal swelling. According to the basic medical opinion, in principle, all children with inguinal hernia aged >6 months with a clear diagnosis should be treated with inguinal hernia repair. If a child with inguinal hernia is younger than 6 months of age, but has recurrent impaction, surgery can still be considered. Postoperative care for pediatric inguinal hernia 1. Position and activity: The child should lie flat with the pillow removed for 6 hours after surgery. Because of the increase of respiratory secretions and muscle relaxation under anesthesia, it is easy to cause vomiting and misaspiration. If there is vomiting, please remove the vomit in time and change clean clothes and pants, and you need to observe the color of the child’s mouth and lips, if there is cyanosis, phlegm in the throat and difficulty in breathing, you need to notify the doctor or nurse immediately. After the operation, the nurse will routinely place your child on cardiac monitoring and oxygen for 6 hours. Please be careful not to let your child grasp the tube and get out of bed after 6 hours. 2. Wound care: If there is a small amount of blood oozing from the wound, it is normal and does not need to be treated. If the blood oozing is bright red and the area is wetting the whole layer of gauze, please inform the doctor in time; usually a transparent waterproof dressing is applied to the outer layer of the wound, pay attention to prevent urine from wetting the wound, keep the bed clean and dry, and change the diaper in time. 3, diet: no water and food before anesthesia awake, 2 hours after surgery can enter a little plain water water, if there is no nausea, vomiting and other discomfort can be light and easy to digest food, such as thin rice, milk, noodles, cakes, etc., the first day after surgery to resume normal diet.