Esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula

[Lanell]

In esophageal atresia, the esophagus narrows or comes to a blind end. Most newborns with esophageal atresia also have an abnormal connection between the esophagus and the windpipe (trachea) called tracheoesophageal fistula.
Normally, the esophagus, a long tubelike organ, connects the mouth to the stomach. In esophageal atresia, food is delayed or prevented from going from the esophagus to the stomach.
Many children with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula have other abnormalities, such as defects of the spine, heart, kidneys, genitals, ears, and limbs and retardation of mental development, physical development, or both.
A tracheoesophageal fistula is dangerous because it allows swallowed food and saliva to travel through the fistula to the lungs, leading to coughing, choking, difficulty breathing, and possibly aspiration pneumonia (due to inhaling food or saliva). Food or fluid in the lungs may impair oxygenation of blood, leading to a bluish discoloration of the skin (cyanosis).
(See also Overview of Digestive Tract Birth Defects.)