An 18-month old baby born with two rare birth defects survived these two conditions after undergoing life-saving surgeries. She is now able to live a normal life since there are restrictions on her physical activities. Adelyn Swain, an 18-month old girl, was diagnosed with two unique congenital malformities at birth. According to the pediatric surgeon at Maine Medical Center who performed the two surgeries on Adelyn, Dr. Jeffrey Halter, the infant’s case was unique. Halter told Press Herald that he had never encountered a patient who suffered from both unrelated conditions called gastroschisis and congenital pulmonary airway malformation. Her case was also the first of its kind where doctors used video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) to remove the lower lobe of her lung. In fact, she was the first baby with gastroschisis that underwent the “sutureless closure” technique in Maine Med tht also repaired her abdominal opening. Halter and his team had to make an incision few inches long to perform the operation. Weeks after the procedures, Adelyn was fit enough to go home. Halter revealed that after the operation, her lung will grow over time and replace the removed lobe, enabling her to lead a normal childhood without respiratory constraints. However, she is required to undergo follow-up surgeries that are less invasive along with other procedures. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gastroschisis is a birth defect of the abdominal wall. Adelyn’s intestines were formed outside of her body due to a hole beside her belly button. In some cases, other organs such as the stomach and liver can also be found outside of the baby’s body. The condition occurs in one of every 2,000 births and its primary cause remains unknown. Babies are usually found to suffer from the condition as shown through ultrasounds. Those who have gastroschisis are required to undergo immediate surgery since their intestines are not covered with a protective sac, making them susceptible to amniotic fluid that irritates the organs, causing them to twist, shorten and swell. Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation On the other hand, congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is a life-threatening birth defect that requires the removal of the lower left lobe of the lung. The procedure was done when Adelyn was 10 months old. As per the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, CPAM is a rare congenital birth defect wherein the baby develops a cystic mass of abnormal lung tissue. It is considered a non-cancerous tumor filled with fluid or other material, and this more common in male infants than females. Source
