Doctors at the Gleneagles Global Health City (GGHC) hospital here have performed a complex procedure, which is commonly used in the treatment of a heart ailment, to treat 45-year-old cancer patient who was suffering from tracheoesophageal fistula.
The patient was earlier diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, for which he underwent radiotherapy. A release from the hospital said the treatment resulted in tracheoesophageal fistula, which refers to an abnormal connection between the oesophagus and the trachea.
In this case, when the patient was referred to GGHC, the doctors did a gastrointestinal endoscopy, which revealed a large opening between the trachea and the oesophagus. He was losing weight and overall health deteriorated because of the condition, the doctors said.
B. Mahadevan, senior consultant and head, Department of Medical Gastroenterology, who headed the team of doctors who performed the interventional procedure to treat the patient, said they decided to use an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) device to close the opening.
He said the device was used to treat ASD, which referred to an opening or defect between the right and left chambers of the heart. Stating that in this case the device was used in a novel way to treat tracheoesophageal fistula, he added that the patient has recovered well and was able to swallow food through his mouth.
