Baby with congenital esophageal atresia had successful surgery

Information from the National Children's Hospital said that the patient is a girl named NKN (15 months old, Quy Nhon - Binh Dinh) with tracheoesophageal cleft and type A esophageal atresia (a rare and severe form of congenital esophageal atresia) and was successfully operated on by doctors at the National Children's Hospital.

Just born with continuous 'foaming'

Emotional on the day his child was discharged from the hospital, Mr. D., KN's father, shared that when his wife was 33 weeks pregnant with KN, she discovered polyhydramnios, and the doctor explained that the baby was at risk of esophageal atresia.

However, his family did not think that baby K. N had such a complicated congenital esophageal atresia. Immediately after birth at the provincial hospital, baby KN immediately had difficulty breathing, continuous foaming, the doctors could not place a tube into the stomach and transferred the baby to a specialized pediatric hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Congenital esophageal atresia is a rare disease and very difficult to treat (photo TL).

Here, the baby had a gastrostomy (to pump milk to feed) when he was 4 days old.

However, the esophageal atresia has not been completely treated, the baby often regurgitates saliva into the mouth and respiratory tract, causing the child to have frequent pneumonia and must be hospitalized continuously since birth.

By chance, while searching for information online, KN's family learned about the National Children's Hospital. After receiving support from some benefactors, KN's family decided to take their child to the National Children's Hospital in the hope that he would be cured.

Esophageal reconstruction using colon for children with type A esophageal atresia - The most difficult technique in congenital esophageal atresia surgery in children

On September 26, the child was admitted to the Thoracic Surgery Department of the National Children's Hospital in a very severe state of pneumonia, unable to swallow, and continuously foaming at the mouth and nose (foaming foam).

After undergoing diagnostic tests, the patient was diagnosed with esophageal atresia (type A) with tracheoesophageal stenosis.

According to Dr. Nguyen Minh Khoi, Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Children's Hospital, type A esophageal atresia is a complex, rare malformation, with difficult surgery and post-surgery.

Having type A esophageal atresia makes KN's quality of life very low, the secreted saliva stagnates in the atrophied esophagus, causing the child to often spit out saliva and gag. The child cannot eat, only has milk pumped through a gastric tube, and needs early esophageal reconstruction surgery.

The surgical plan for the pediatric patient is developed by the doctors of the Department of Thoracic Surgery and consists of 2 different stages:

Phase 1 is when the child is treated for pneumonia and is stable and eligible for surgery. On October 5, 2022, doctors from the Thoracic Surgery Department coordinated with doctors from the Ear, Nose and Throat Department to suture the tracheoesophageal opening through the child's mouth.

Fortunately, the child's health improved, and pre-operative symptoms such as difficulty breathing and drooling gradually disappeared.

Phase 2, from November 14, the child continued to have the second esophageal reconstruction surgery performed by Dr. To Manh Tuan - Master Nguyen Minh Khoi and the surgical team of the Thoracic Surgery Department.

“We performed a section of the transverse colon and brought it up to the chest to replace the atrophied esophagus. The surgery took 8 hours. This is the most difficult technique in congenital esophageal atresia surgery.” – Dr. Khoi said.

After surgery, the patient received intensive care at the Department of Surgical Intensive Care for more than 2 weeks and then continued to be monitored and treated at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Children's Hospital.

After more than 3 months of treatment, the child is now stable, no longer has the symptoms before surgery. The child can eat by himself, does not cough, does not choke, does not have a fever and was discharged by doctors on December 23.

“We are extremely happy that our child has been successfully treated by the doctors. We don't know what to say other than thank the doctors and nurses, especially the doctors of the Thoracic Surgery Department - National Children's Hospital.

The doctors not only cured my child, but also took good care of him and helped the family a lot during his stay in the hospital" - with overwhelming happiness when his child was cured, KN's father emotionally shared.

Early treatment and surgery are needed.

According to doctors, esophageal atresia is a dangerous defect that can easily lead to death if not detected and treated promptly.

Surgical treatment is also very difficult because it is a major surgery on the chest, while newborns or young children have weak endurance, especially children who always have pneumonia before surgery, which often happens to premature and low birth weight babies.

In recent years, the Department of Thoracic Surgery - National Children's Hospital, in conjunction with the Department of Diagnostic Imaging, the Department of Anesthesia and Resuscitation, and the Department of Surgical Intensive Care... has successfully treated nearly 20 pediatric patients with type A esophageal atresia using colonoplasty.

The successful surgery of this complex technique has opened up many hopes for babies who unfortunately suffer from congenital esophageal atresia, giving them a completely new life with a brighter future.

Doctors also recommend that to protect the lives of children with esophageal atresia, the most important thing is for parents to understand how to detect early signs of the disease, take their children to see a doctor and get timely treatment.

Early surgery will avoid some dangerous complications that threaten the child's life.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phau-thuat-thanh-cong-cho-be-bi-teo-thuc-quan-bam-sinh-post229791.html