Procedure: esophagus is the tube that connects mouth and stomach. Growth of esophagus as two seperate parts that are not connected is called esophageal atresia. Esophageal atresia is commonly accompanied by an abnormal connection between trachea and esophagus (tracheoesophageal fistula) which needs to be fixed by surgery. In this operation, the fistula between esophagus and trachea is closed, and if it’s achievable, the gap between upper and lower part of esophagus is sewn together. In some cases, parts of the esophagus is way too apart to sew together. In those cases, another surgery for repairment of esophagus may be needed.
Recovery time: after the surgery, the patient is monitored in intensive care unit for several weeks. A breathing tube and a drainage tube is placed to assist the recovery process. While the breathing tube is removed within the first a few days, the drainage tube has to be kept until the patient starts feeding orally which usually takes several weeks. In some cases, patients may need a nasogastric tube for feeding for a while, until they start swallowing properly. Patients are discharged when they start breathing safely and feed orally or by a tube (gaining weight).