Making progress: Eli is thriving after laryngeal cleft repair

Eli Bustard is pretty laid back for a 3-year-old — until he sees a picture of a dinosaur. “He’s obsessed,” laughs his mother, Nicole, who reports that Eli has been poring over a library book about these prehistoric beasts. Some of his other favorite pastimes: playing with trucks, caring for his Boston terrier and climbing up and down the musical stairs at Boston Children’s Hospital, which play a cheerful melody with every step. A native of Bangor, Maine, Eli first came to Boston Children’s when he was just a few months old. Although he was born about three weeks early, he appeared to be in perfect health, and returned home with his parents after a typical two-day hospital stay. But concerns began to surface quickly. “He wasn’t eating well or gaining weight,” says Nicole. “We ended up visiting his pediatrician every day for a checkup.” To Boston for expert care By the end of the first week, Eli’s doctor was worried enough to recommend a trip to the local emergency department. There, clinicians prescribed medications to treat pneumonia and began feeding him through a nasogastric tube rather than by mouth. Yet he had to remain constantly propped up to prevent him from aspirating liquids. Six frustrating weeks passed on the pediatric floor and Eli wasn’t getting worse — but he wasn’t getting better, either. Eventually, the Bustards were sent to a larger hospital in Maine, where Eli was diagnosed with a laryngeal cleft, an abnormal opening between th...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Center for Airway Disorders Dr. Reza Rahbar laryngeal cleft Source Type: news