Sutures and general anesthesia are being replaced in some cases by a new procedure for treating babies born with gastroschisis, a condition in which internal abdominal organs develop outside the stomach.

"When we can do the repairs without a real operation, with a sutureless closure that's like putting a Band-Aid over the hole on the abdominal wall, it really decreases the risk of infection," said Jamie Robinson, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatric surgery at Vanderbilt who conducted a study into recovery outcomes.

Suture-less closure for patients with gastroschisis is sometimes known as "plastic" or "flap" closure, a bedside procedure first described in 2004. The traditional open-operation approach requires sutures for closure, as well as general anesthesia, which the suture-free repair does not.