LIFE - Lifelong Follow up for Esophageal atresia

Lifelong follow up for oesophageal atresia, and Ernica animation for patients, parents and families. Esophageal atresia is a rare birth defect, where a part of the esophagus, the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach, is missing. This animation aims to provide you with information on what ongoing follow-up care to expect for children born with esophageal atresia. All patients born with oesophageal atresia should be treated at a specialist center with a multidisciplinary team, which is a team of different clinical professionals. Follow-up support should be both lifelong and structured. This is necessary to monitor and treat any difficulties that may arise during the life course, such as breathing, nutritional or digestive issues. For the first year after surgery, an outpatient review, including a nutritional assessment, should take place every 3rd month. From then on, these assessments are recommended to occur every year or 2nd year until transition to adult care. Patients should be supported through the transition process from child to adult care services. Those born with esophageal atresia should have a number of endoscopies throughout their life. An endoscopy is a procedure which examines the esophagus. A long, thin, flexible tube with a light and a camera is passed through the mouth into the esophagus and the stomach. This tube is called an endoscope. An endoscope can also be used to remove a small sample of tissue from the esophagus to be looked at more closely with a microscope. This small sample of tissue is called a biopsy. A biopsy can help identify any changes to the esophagus, or early signs of change, and can help decide on treatment options. An endoscopy should be performed when a child with oesophageal atresia is one year old. Following this, they should be performed routinely to monitor children and adolescents born with oesophageal atresia. In adulthood, an endoscopy should be routinely performed every 5 to 10 years. However, this will depend on the individual patient and their circumstances. A review of the breathing system, including lung function tests, should be carried out for children and adolescents by a specialist doctor called a pulmonologist. In addition, quality of life assessments using a validated questionnaire should be offered. Parents and families of children born with oesophageal atresia, and individuals born with oesophageal atresia can access peer support through patient and family support groups. Centres should be able to make you aware of your nearest support group.