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- After one and a half years, when the child drank mother’s milk orally for the first time, the parents said, “Thank you, doctors.”
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- Due to a congenital disorder, the child’s food pipe was underdeveloped.
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- Successful treatment was carried out through esophageal reconstruction (gastric pull-up technique).
Following a rare pediatric surgery at Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital, emotions ran high when a child drank mother’s milk orally for the first time after one and a half years. Due to the illness, the child’s parents had almost lost hope that their baby would ever be able to feed normally. However, the dedicated efforts of the doctors and hospital staff turned the impossible into reality, adding another remarkable medical achievement to the hospital’s record. The Chairman of the hospital, Shri Mahant Devendra Das Ji Maharaj, congratulated the pediatric surgery team and doctors for the successful treatment.
A successful surgery for congenital esophageal atresia in the one-and-a-half-year-old child was performed under the supervision of senior pediatric surgeon Dr. Madhukar Maletha. The child was suffering from Pure Esophageal Atresia, a rare congenital condition in which the food pipe is completely undeveloped.
According to the information received, the child had undergone the first stage of surgical treatment nearly a year ago, during which cervical esophagostomy and gastrostomy procedures were performed to ensure nutritional management. In the second stage of treatment at Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital, esophageal reconstruction using the gastric pull-up technique was successfully carried out under general anesthesia. In this complex surgical procedure, the stomach was repositioned upward and reconstructed to function as the food pipe. Following the surgery, the child is recovering well.
Dr. Madhukar Maletha informed that in such complex surgeries, the anesthesia and pediatric departments play a crucial role, and without their expertise and support, such rare surgical procedures would not be possible.
Senior pediatric surgeon Dr. Madhukar Maletha further explained that congenital esophageal atresia is a serious birth defect in which a newborn’s food pipe does not develop completely, and the upper and lower ends remain disconnected. As a result, the baby cannot swallow milk or food properly, and there is also a risk of food entering the windpipe (trachea), which can cause breathing difficulties.
In medical science, this condition is usually identified immediately after birth. Excessive salivation, coughing while feeding, or difficulty in breathing are among its major symptoms. The condition is confirmed through X-rays and other diagnostic investigations. The primary treatment is surgery, in which the two ends of the esophagus are connected to create a normal passage. With timely treatment, most children can go on to live healthy lives.
The medical team included Dr. Rohit, Dr. Nigar, Dr. Gunjan, along with nursing staff Ratna, Neha, Shriti, Priyanka, and Amit, who provided special support during the treatment process.