Baby with missing wind pipe saved by surgeons
Father had suffered same rare condition 35 years ago
ABABY girl has undergone lifesaving surgery in Birmingham 35 years after her father was born with the same rare digestive condition.
Richard Franklin, 35, was born without part of his oesophagus, the pipe linking his mouth to his stomach.
The condition, tracheo-oesophageal fistula (TOF) and oesophageal atresia (OA), means babies cannot swallow and it can be fatal without surgical intervention.
It affects just one in 5,000 babies but Mr Franklin’s daughter Robyn was born with the same condition.
Days after her birth last November, Robyn underwent surgery to join the oesophagus to the trachea.
Both father and daughter had the surgery at Birmingham Children’s Hospital although the techniques used were very different.
For Mr Franklin, from Birmingham, surgeons opened up his chest by cutting between the ribs to repair the oesophagus.
Although it was life-saving it meant he was left with a large scar across his torso.
He also needed regular dilatations where a balloon is placed in the oesophagus under general anaesthetic and inflated to stretch the scar tissue.
The bus driver, whose twin brother had the same operation, said: “After the procedure we needed numerous dilations growing up as well as additional surgeries.
“We were told at the time not only how rare this condition was but how rare it was for myself and my twin brother to survive.”
For baby Robyn, surgeons used a pioneering new technique using thoracoscopic equipment, known as keyhole surgery.
Surgeons were able to rebuild Robyn’s oesophagus by operating in a space around the size of a matchbox between the heart and lungs using tiny instruments just 3mm in size.
The method means patients usually recover faster, feed quicker and are not left with major scarring and Robyn was able to feed by mouth after just 12 days.
The operation took six hours and required a team of surgeons, anaesthetists and theatre practitioners as well as support from the neonatal unit, intensive care and nurses on the neonatal surgical wards.
Over the 12 days Robyn spent in hospital around 50 doctors, nurses are professionals were directly involved in her care.
Mr Franklin added: “Having gone through all this growing up I had this guilt and responsibility; it was traumatising not just for me but for my parents to also relive it.
“However, this new technique has been life-changing for Robyn.
“The surgical team and the nurses on the Neonatal Surgical Ward who cared for Robyn were absolutely incredible.
“It has been quite the whirlwind with how quickly she has recovered and been able to come home.”
Mr Franklin and his wife Hannah
only discovered their daughter had inherited the same condition from her father just hours after she was born.
Mrs Franklin said: “I always knew there was a chance Robyn may have a similar condition to Richard so when we found out a few hours after she was born we were obviously saddened but in a way we had almost prepared ourselves.
‘‘She was quickly transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital with Richard by her side while I recovered. The care she has received has just been amazing.”
Suren Arul, the Consultant Paediatric Surgeon who treated Robyn with surgeon Giampiero Sccorso, said: “Over the last 35 years doctors around the world have striven to improve the outcomes of surgery on these tiny babies with this rare condition. We only see around two or three each year.
“We’re grateful to have the latest technology at our fingertips to provide the best care to our patients.
“To know Robyn can grow up normally having had such major surgery, but with no scars, is a wonderful thing.”