UAE: Successful treatment of baby born with large esophageal gap

Abu Dhabi: A newborn born without an intact esophagus (esophagus) has been successfully treated at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City in Abu Dhabi.

The hospital said the baby was born with long-gap esophageal atresia, a congenital condition in which the food duct, or esophagus, does not form properly during pregnancy. This is combined with a tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), which is an abnormal connection between the esophagus and the trachea, or windpipe. A combination of conditions means the baby cannot eat and breathe at the same time without choking.

Affecting 1 in 4,000 babies worldwide, atresia of the esophagus occurs when the upper esophagus, which carries food from the mouth to the stomach, does not connect with the lower esophagus and stomach.

Repair must be performed as soon as possible after birth to preserve the patient’s health and development. In this case, the surgery was performed within a month of the premature baby’s birth.

SSMC’s medical team, including an anesthesiologist, neonatal intensive care team, pediatric surgeons, speech and swallowing specialists, and nutritionists, worked together to treat and restore function to the patient, allowing him to eat normally without difficulty breathing.

“SSMC is proud to be at the forefront of clinical practice and to provide integrated care for even the most complex and rare conditions. The expertise and harmony demonstrated by our team is the basis for this successful outcome, as well as SSMC’s insistence on bringing patient needs A testament to a commitment to putting it first. Through the practice, research and education pillars that form the backbone of our unique model of care, SSMC aims to continually evolve and set new standards in the compassionate care it provides,” said Matthew Gettman, Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, SSMC explain.

“Given that our patient was born with a particularly difficult birth – he was less than 28 days old and weighed 1.9 kg – our approach to treatment had to be very complex. The gap between the two esophageal segments is wide and these abnormalities are usually repaired in stages We opted for a thoracoscopic single-stage procedure rather than making a long surgical incision in the chest wall,” said Iftikhar Jan Suleiman, MD, Consultant Pediatric Surgeon and Chairman of the Pediatric Surgery Division at SSMC.

“Minimally invasive keyhole surgery successfully repaired patient’s [condition], and allows us to create new connections to the esophagus. We are proud of the highly coordinated team effort of the neonatal intensive care team and our highly specialized anesthesiology team, whose expertise in pediatric surgery was critical to the success of this life-saving procedure. “

“Due to difficult delivery, the patient also had comorbidities as well as major illnesses and a very low body weight. These included an opening between the two major blood vessels of the heart, neonatal seizures, hypoglycemia and electrolyte disturbances, which required the anesthesia team to In addition, we paid special attention and planned to ventilate him adequately and prevent hypothermia and hypoglycemia to keep the patient in optimal condition,” said Dr. Tamer Hamed Ibrahim, Consultant Anesthetist and Head of Pediatric Anesthesia at SSMC.

“I am delighted that our multidisciplinary team helped save this patient’s life using this highly advanced surgical approach, and I am grateful to all team members who played an integral role in making this happen,” said Ib Dr. Lahim said.

The baby recovered quickly from the operation and was discharged from the hospital a week later.

Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City is one of the largest hospitals in the UAE with the capacity to handle severe and complex cases. It was established under a joint venture partnership between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) and the Mayo Clinic, a research-focused medical institution in the United States.