Parc Taulí intervenes in a newborn with a malformation in the esophagus using minimally invasive surgery

The pediatric surgery team at Parc Taulí urgently intervened in May on a newborn with esophageal atresia.

The child was born weighing 2.800kg and during the first hours, the nursing team detected that the baby could not be fed because it was suffocating. A tube was then placed or an X-ray was taken which confirmed that he had been born with a strange malformation of the esophagus, the upper and lower parts were not joined, and the lower part was attached to the trachea. "This defect in the formation of the esophagus is very rare and only happens once every 4000 or 5000 births. Babies born with this pathology cannot pass food into their stomachs and have difficulty breathing while eating. It is very important to intervene urgently to ensure the child's survival", explained Dr. Bernardo Núñez, director of Pediatric Surgery.

The emergency intervention was complicated by the low weight of the newborn. A minimally invasive surgery was performed, performed for the first time in Taulí, without opening the chest. Three 3mm and one 5mm incisions were made in the chest in order to repair and join the two sections of the esophagus, closing the connection with the respiratory tract.

This technique was made possible thanks to the expertise of the pediatric surgery team, pediatric anaesthesiology, neonatology, nursing and the presence of Dr. Jorge Godoy from Chile, expert in minimally invasive neonatal surgery.

Despite the complexity of the operation, for being a newborn and the low weight, the intervention was a success. The baby is now discharged home and is recovering well from the operation with no chest scarring.