Esophageal atresia alone or with tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) occurs in approximately one in 4,000 live births.
In 85 to 90 percent of tracheoesophageal fistulas, the top part of the esophagus ends in a blind sac, and the lower part inserts into the trachea.
The survival rate of infants with tracheoesophageal fistulas improved dramatically toward the end of the twentieth century.
This defect almost always occurs in conjunction with tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), a condition in which the esophagus is improperly attached to the trachea, the "windpipe" that carries air into the lungs.
This is the most difficult type of tracheoesophageal fistula to diagnose, because both eating and breathing are possible.
Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is a birth defect in which the trachea is connected to the esophagus.
Tracheoesophageal fistula-An abnormal connection between the trachea and esophagus, frequently associated with the esophagus ending in a blind pouch.
Tracheoesophageal fistulas are defects in development of the fetus that cannot be prevented.