tracheoesophageal fistula

fistula, tracheoesophageal

Tracheoesophageal fistula is a congenital malformation in which there is an abnormal connection between the esophagus (food tube) and the trachea (windpipe). The diagnosis is made shortly after birth when the baby develops choking and respiratory difficulty after the first feeding, because the abnormal connection allows milk to run down into the lungs. Treatment is immediate surgical repair.

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