Multidisciplinary management of patients with esophageal atresia

Esophageal atresia is a relatively common congenital malformation of unknown etiology consisting of a lack of continuity of the esophagus with or without communication to the airway. The condition occurs in 1/2500-4500 live births. If the patient does not receive surgical treatment, this defect may lead to death. Abnormalities associated with esophageal atresia are present in similar to 50% to 60% of patients and include urinary tract and digestive, cardiac and musculoskeletal systems. Esophageal atresia is perhaps one of the classic pediatric surgical diseases and important developments have been reported in recent years regarding survival. This achievement is related to the specialized care provided in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and the use of parenteral nutrition as well as improvement of anesthetic and surgical techniques. Currently, mortality in esophageal atresia patients is an indicator of the quality of care in NICUs. Postoperatively, overall prognosis is good because mortality is low in the absence of other associated malformations. This article synthesizes the general aspects that should be offered to all newborns suspected of having esophageal atresia, indicating the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to achieve the best results in this group of patients.