For Patients/Families

Tracheoesophageal fistula
An abnormal opening between the trachea (windpipe) and the esophagus that forms during the fourth week after conception. When the baby tries to eat food may enter the lungs, causing choking and coughing. The baby may not be able to swallow saliva or food. Tracheoesophageal fistula is usually discovered soon after birth. Babies (slightly more males than females) are born with this condition in about 1 out of every 2,500 births. The survival rate is nearly 90 percent.