Doctors at Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children have successfully performed a highly delicate surgery on a newborn baby suffering from a rare congenital disease. The successful operation was supervised by Dr. Brian McCormack, Consultant Pediatric and Neonatal Surgeon.
In detail, the German couple Tim and Sarah, who are employees at one of the Emirates airlines, discovered after the birth of their first child, Kai, that he had a rare congenital disease that threatened his life, specifically tracheoesophageal fistula with esophageal atresia. They indicated that when the child was born, he had difficulty swallowing his saliva, which was constantly flowing from his mouth, while his breathing rate was always faster than normal.
Following these symptoms, the care team at Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children rushed to intervene by inserting a small tube into Kai’s mouth to clean the oral cavity. In a healthy child, the tube would pass through the esophagus and into the stomach without any obstruction, but in Kai’s case, it was twisting up into his chest, indicating a blockage.
Tracheoesophageal fistula with esophageal atresia occurs in about one in every 4,000 live births. In people with this condition, the upper part of the esophagus is disconnected from the lower part, with an abnormal connection (fistula) between the lower part of the esophagus and the windpipe. This means that every time Kai tries to breathe, air enters his stomach, causing acid to reflux into his lungs, putting his health at serious risk.
After confirming their baby was infected, Tim and Sarah were referred to Dr Brian McCormack, Consultant Paediatric and Neonatal Surgeon, who confirmed the urgent need for surgery on the baby’s chest, within 24 to 48 hours, to prevent complications.
A complex procedure by nature.
The next day, the surgical team prepared the boy for the complex procedure. The goal was to connect the two ends of the esophagus. The gap between them was moderate, about three vertebrae long. The surgery involved an incision on the right side of the chest, opening it between the fourth and fifth ribs. Dr. McCormack used a muscle-sparing technique to avoid cutting major muscles, which should help Kai’s long-term recovery.
“This is one of the most technically complex procedures we perform as neonatal surgeons,” said Dr. McCormack. “The surgery began with the important step of separating the esophagus from the airway, which is critical to the survival of the infant. Once the airway was secured, we successfully connected the two ends of the esophagus using a tube that goes through the nose and into the stomach. This tube facilitates the delivery of food and maintains the connection during the healing process.”
“The child’s condition remained stable during the surgery and he was closely monitored in the intensive care unit. Over the following days, the medical team monitored the child’s condition for any complications, but his condition was very good. As a result, he was removed from the ventilator within two days and started tube feeding. Shortly after, he started feeding orally,” he added.
He continued: “After a busy week, the parents were finally able to take their newborn home. Since then, we have been monitoring the child’s condition regularly in the clinic, to ensure that he is growing up healthy, as he started eating solid foods at the age of six months.”
#Complex #operation #save #newborn #Abu #Dhabi #rare #congenital #disease