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Circumcision for a baby with SVT?

post #1 of 42
10/4/09 at 12:06am
Thread Starter 
My SIL's DH still wants to get their baby boy circumcised (and yes I've tried ALL the info) but it has been put off due to my nephew ending up in the hospital and being diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Basically his heart beat goes WAY to fast and it can be very dangerous. He will be on medication to keep his heart rate down for at least a year. I am of the belief that getting him circumcised would cause his heart rate to go way up, would it not? I haven't mentioned it my SIL yet but I do keep making casual comments about how the baby has been under a lot of stress with all the tests and hospitalization and how they need to keep him from undergoing any other stress. So am I wrong or would getting circumcised possibly cause problems with my nephew's heart? Oh, he is almost 7 weeks old now.
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post #2 of 42
10/4/09 at 12:19am
The current recommendation is that only stable and healthy newborns should be circumcised.

A baby with a dangerous heart problem is not stable and healthy. Circumcision, unless they put him under general anesthesia (and that has it's own big risks), would most definitely cause stress, IMO.

It seems like keeping him alive should be the biggest priority right now.

Did the parents share their reasons for wanting to circumcise him?
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post #3 of 42
10/4/09 at 12:25am
Not a good idea under any circumstances but especially not with an arrhythmia! Pardon my saying so but, Duh!
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post #4 of 42
10/4/09 at 12:44am
Of course his heart rate would go up. It goes up from just crying so screaming in pain even just the numbing shot will hurt like crazy so yeah it is really a common sense thing that his heart will react to that.
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post #5 of 42
10/4/09 at 1:00am
Thread Starter 
My BIL wants it done because, "It's what his family does." Stupid reason!

Well, I'm hoping the doctors will be as smart as you guys and realize they shouldn't do a circ on a child with a heart condition. I really hope my nephew is spared this operation and that in doing so any younger brothers will also be spared (my BIL is from a family of 4 boys so the odds are high there will be more boys). Hopefully my BIL will see that a boy with a foreskin is normal and that there is no need to circumcise.
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post #6 of 42
10/4/09 at 2:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BugMacGee View Post
Not a good idea under any circumstances but especially not with an arrhythmia! Pardon my saying so but, Duh!
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post #7 of 42
10/4/09 at 2:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heavenly View Post
being diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Basically his heart beat goes WAY to fast and it can be very dangerous. He will be on medication to keep his heart rate down for at least a year. I am of the belief that getting him circumcised would cause his heart rate to go way up, would it not?
Pain causes faster heart rate, increased blood pressure, and very negative changes in endorphins. Is this a vanity thing, he wants his son's male member to be like his even when it's NOT needed, not healthy, and in this case, a very bad risk?
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post #8 of 42
10/4/09 at 3:05am
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post #9 of 42
10/4/09 at 1:12pm
Because of his heart condition, the baby could die. Simple.
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post #10 of 42
10/4/09 at 1:22pm
Last year a baby died after being circumcised - From a Heart attack...I remember reading somewhere that they believe he had an underlying, undiagnosed heart condition.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...cumcision.html
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post #11 of 42
10/4/09 at 1:25pm
Would a Dr even be willing to do that?
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post #12 of 42
10/4/09 at 1:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by eepster View Post
Would a Dr even be willing to do that?
Sadly, I believe most would. They would just be sure to do it in the hospital with resussitation equipment available - although you would think that that would raise major red flags.
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post #13 of 42
10/4/09 at 3:11pm
I don't think any reasonable MD would touch that kiddo's penis with a 10 foot pole!

Fyrestorm, on what do you base your above statement that "most" would. I highly, highly highly doubt that!
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post #14 of 42
10/4/09 at 3:14pm
By the number of babies that are cut just before leaving the NICU. Almost none of these babies are completely medically stable. In our hospital and Yale hospital. They will cut them up as long as they are 5lbs. A dear friend was until a year or so ago head nurse in Yale NICU.
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post #15 of 42
10/4/09 at 3:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BugMacGee View Post
I don't think any reasonable MD would touch that kiddo's penis with a 10 foot pole!

Fyrestorm, on what do you base your above statement that "most" would. I highly, highly highly doubt that!
My nephew was born early and was cut before he was even 12 hours old and not even stable. If I remember correctly, he was having some difficulty breathing, regulating temp, and had a bit of a high HR. And then after the circ, he also had difficulty feeding.

While it obvious to *US* that it is an absolutely ridiculous, dangerous thing to do, I don't think most doctors even bat an eye at it. It's considered a "minor" procedure. My DD had some very painful procedures done on her before she stabilized in the NICU. It never even occurred to me that it could ever be a problem. And it was "routine" in the NICU.
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post #16 of 42
10/4/09 at 3:49pm
We're not talking about relatively healthy ex preemies here.

I know that many NICU babies are circ'ed prior to dc (thankfully not in my unit) But a baby with a serious arrhythmia, heck no.

Dr's don't like circ'ing so very much that they would risk their licenses to do it on a medically, very unstable baby.
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post #17 of 42
10/5/09 at 6:02pm
Honestly, they would. I have known a few babies to get circ'd well before they were stable. In fact, someone I know personally had her son circ'd while he was on a respirator. His lungs had collapsed and he couldn't breathe on his own (this was a full term baby with some major respiratory distress). They circ'd him anyway.

They also were prepared to circ my son while he was still in the NICU with an unknown problem-he kept shaking non stop, couldn't focus his eyes, and wouldn't sleep, at all. They didn't have any idea WHY he was like this, but they were still happy to circ! (He wasn't by the way, I was a cheap 18 year old who wasn't about to pay cash for an elective surgery my insurance didn't cover )
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post #18 of 42
10/5/09 at 7:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocsNemesis View Post
Honestly, they would. I have known a few babies to get circ'd well before they were stable. In fact, someone I know personally had her son circ'd while he was on a respirator. His lungs had collapsed and he couldn't breathe on his own (this was a full term baby with some major respiratory distress). They circ'd him anyway.
Wow, that is horrific. You'd think that they would want the baby to be BREATHING at least before doing elective surgery on him!

Did the baby have complications at all from being circ'ed while on a respirator?
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post #19 of 42
10/5/09 at 7:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocsNemesis View Post
They also were prepared to circ my son while he was still in the NICU with an unknown problem-he kept shaking non stop, couldn't focus his eyes, and wouldn't sleep, at all. They didn't have any idea WHY he was like this, but they were still happy to circ! (He wasn't by the way, I was a cheap 18 year old who wasn't about to pay cash for an elective surgery my insurance didn't cover )
Good for you! Being cheap sure pays off sometimes.
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post #20 of 42
10/5/09 at 9:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bandgeek View Post
My nephew was born early and was cut before he was even 12 hours old and not even stable. If I remember correctly, he was having some difficulty breathing, regulating temp, and had a bit of a high HR. And then after the circ, he also had difficulty feeding.

While it obvious to *US* that it is an absolutely ridiculous, dangerous thing to do, I don't think most doctors even bat an eye at it. It's considered a "minor" procedure. My DD had some very painful procedures done on her before she stabilized in the NICU. It never even occurred to me that it could ever be a problem. And it was "routine" in the NICU.

But he didn't have SVT, "High HR" is not SVT. SVT is like 280 bpm. Leads to heart failure PDQ. Needs rapid IV administration of Adenosine. Sometimes multiple doses. KEpt @ the bedside because it takes too long to get it out of the Pyxis. Think they're going to do that during a circ? HAve a defibrillator on hand? Circ'ed babies aren't even on monitors.
We just had one in our unit for 2 weeks because she would "breakthrough" her maintenance meds, while being help by her mom! It's an emergency when it happens.



I'm sure your DD had some painful procedures, but not unnecessary, cosmetic ones.


Circ'ed on a ventilator? I have a very hard time believing that. Very hard.

I guess maybe the Doc's on the West Coast just really don't care that much about circ'ing and DO care about their licenses.

.
Shrug.
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