An ocean away: Care for laryngeal cleft brings Clara to Boston

My husband, Duncan, and I were living in London, England, when Clara was born. Although my pregnancy had started out like any other, I later developed severe polyhydramnios, an accumulation of amniotic fluid that can sometimes indicate the presence of certain congenital issues. After I delivered, it became clear that Clara had a congenital condition called esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF). This condition meant that her esophagus (the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach) hadn’t developed properly and didn’t connect to her stomach, but that her esophagus and windpipe were improperly connected to one another through a small fistula. Because of these problems, any liquid she swallowed could not reach her stomach, but was likely to enter her lungs. Two steps forward, one step back Clara’s EA/TEF was successfully repaired when she was one day old, but, when she was not recovering as expected, her doctors uncovered another rare congenital condition: a type III laryngeal cleft. This abnormal opening between the larynx and esophagus allows food and liquid to pass into the lungs, leading to even more eating and breathing issues. Her surgeon planned to repair the cleft using a minimally invasive approach called endoscopic surgery when Clara was about three months old. In the meantime, a series of respiratory infections and her risk of aspirating and kept her in the hospital. Soon, five months had passed — but her d...
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