Ward reduction without general anaesthesia versus reduction and repair under general anaesthesia for gastroschisis in newborn infants

Ward reduction for newborn infants with gastroschisis is not supported or refuted by evidence from randomised controlled trials. Newborn babies with gastroschisis are born with their gut hanging out of a hole in their belly. If the gut is not put back they could get sick from fluid and heat loss or part of the gut could die or they could get a life-threatening infection. Traditionally the gut is pushed back inside the belly under anaesthetic in the operating theatre but in some hospitals they push the gut back without anaesthetic in the neonatal ward (i.e., ward reduction). It is not known which method gives better outcomes. The reviewers did not identify any randomised studies comparing the two approaches. They concluded that there is no evidence either supporting or refuting ward reduction of gastroschisis.