Nursing Diagnosis for Cheiloschisis and Palatoschisis

Nursing Care Plan for Palatoschisis and Cheiloschisis

Cleft lip (cheiloschisis) and cleft palate (palatoschisis), which can also occur together as cleft lip and palate, are variations of a type of clefting congenital deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation.

A cleft lip or palate can be successfully treated with surgery, especially so if conducted soon after birth or in early childhood.

If the cleft does not affect the palate structure of the mouth it is referred to as cleft lip. Cleft lip is formed in the top of the lip as either a small gap or an indentation in the lip (partial or incomplete cleft) or it continues into the nose (complete cleft). Lip cleft can occur as a one sided (unilateral) or two sided (bilateral). It is due to the failure of fusion of the maxillary and medial nasal processes (formation of the primary palate).

A mild form of a cleft lip is a microform cleft. A microform cleft can appear as small as a little dent in the red part of the lip or look like a scar from the lip up to the nostril. In some cases muscle tissue in the lip underneath the scar is affected and might require reconstructive surgery. It is advised to have newborn infants with a microform cleft checked with a craniofacial team as soon as possible to determine the severity of the cleft.

Nursing Diagnosis for Cheiloschisis and Palatoschisis

1. Imbalanced Nutrition, Less Than Body Requirements related to inability to ingest / difficulty in eating, secondary disability and surgery.
2. Risk for aspiration related to inability to secrete secretion, secondary Palatoschisis.
3. Risk for infection related to disability (before surgery) and or surgical incision.
4. Knowledge Deficit: family related to techniques of feeding and care at home.
5. Acute Pain related to surgical incision.
6. Ineffective airway clearance related to the effects of anesthesia, post-operative edema, increased secretions.
7. Impaired skin integrity related to surgical incision.