Delhi doctors save life of newborn with a rare defect in oesophagus, trachea

In an extremely rare case doctors here saved a newborn with a rare and lifethreatening defect in oesophagus and tracheaThe baby diagnosed with oesophageal atresia and a tracheoesophageal fistula soon after birth was brought to HCMCT Manipal Hospital DwarkaOesophageal Atresia EA is a rare and serious congenital condition that affects the development of oesophagus in newborns and turns the early days of life into a critical fight for survivalIn some cases this condition is accompanied by a tracheoesophageal fistula TEF which is an abnormal connection between the oesophagus and the trachea windpipeThis connection can cause severe complications as it allows gastric liquids to pass into the lungs leading to respiratory distress infections and other serious issues said the doctorsldquoThe prevalence of EA with TEF is estimated to be between 1 in 5000 and 1 in 10000 live births worldwide with a slightly higher occurrence in Europerdquo paediatric surgeon Dr ThichenKalden Lama HOD Paediatric Surgery saidThe team of doctors treated the baby with right thoracotomy and TEF ligation followed by an oesophagooesophageal anastomosis a complex surgical procedure to connect the upper and lower segments of the oesophagusThe baby was kept on intravenous fluids supportive measures antibiotics and total parenteral nutrition TPN while being closely monitoredThe baby showed some progress on the seventh day of life Gradually oral feeds were introducedDespite challenges such as breathing difficulties and severe gastroesophageal reflux the team employed a combination of medications careful feeding techniques and supportive therapies to manage the conditionldquoThe baby showed remarkable recovery and after days of close monitoring and care full oral feeds were successfully established and the baby was discharged with weight gain and parental educationrdquo Lama saidLama explained that the condition can be observed shortly after birth in infants who cannot swallow their saliva exhibit excessive drooling or have difficulty breathingldquoThe presence of polyhydramnios an excess of amniotic fluid during pregnancy can also be an indicator as the babyrsquos inability to swallow amniotic fluid leads to its accumulationrdquo the doctor saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever