Tracheoesophageal fistulas are not preventable birth defects.
In a rare type of fistula called an H type, both the esophagus and trachea are complete, but they are connected. This is the most difficult type of tracheoesophageal fistula to diagnose, because both eating and breathing are possible.
The two most common congenital esophageal abnormalities are esophageal atresia (EA) and tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF).
A fistula is an abnormal connection or passageway between two epithelium-lined organs or vessels that normally do not connect. If it happens between trachea and esophagus then it will be known as tracheoesophageal fistula.
What comes to mind is a tracheoesophageal fistula or TEF.
It's a birth defect in which there is an abnormal connection between the esophagus and the trachea. There may be an extra connection between the esophagus and the trachea or the esophagus may be a blind tube.
This condition usually occurs with tracheoesophageal fistula, a condition in which the esophagus is improperly attached to the trachea, the nearby tube that connects the nasal area to the lungs.
the membrane that divides the trachea from the esophagus (tracheoesophageal septum) is incompletely formed, leaving a fistula between the two normally separate organs.
When this happens, air enters the gastrointestinal system, causing the bowels to distend, and mucus is breathed into the lungs causing aspiration pneumonia and breathing problems.
Tracheoesophageal fistula, and it can be corrected surgically.
The trachea, or windpipe, carries air to the lungs. The esophagus carries food to the stomach. Sometimes during development, these two tubes do not separate completely, but remain connected by a short passage.
Even when the esophagus is successfully separated and reattached, many infants have difficulty swallowing, because the contractility of the esophagus is impaired. Infants may also have problems with gastroesophageal reflux
TEFs may develop in adult life, secondary to the invasion of cancer in the area. In addition, TEFs may be deliberately constructed with surgery to aid talking in a patient who has the larynx removed