Aaron was born on July 28th, 1993 at 26 weeks gestation; his weight was 2 lbs. 2 oz., length 13 inches. Aaron has an identical twin brother Eric who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. The boys spent three months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and both have many of the common problems of prematurity.
Aaron had a tracheostomy for four years because of acquired subglottic stenosis. He had scar tissue and narrowing in his trachea (windpipe) due to the trauma of being on a ventilator. His trachea was damaged from the endotracheal tube (ET tube) that the doctors placed in his airway for mechanical ventilation. The ventilator saved his life, but no medical procedure is done without the possibility of complications. A tracheotomy was performed to bypass the damaged area.
Aaron’s condition was complicated by bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), which is a respiratory problem common in preemies. Aaron was oxygen dependent for three years. We waited until Aaron’s respiratory status improved before attempting his tracheal reconstructive surgery to correct his subglottic stenosis.
Aaron had his tracheal reconstructive surgery (Laryngotracheoplasty) on Wednesday, June 11th, 1997 at Children’s Hospital in Boston and was successfully decannulated. He had to return to the hospital three times to have scar tissue removed from his airway in August 1997, May 2000 and again in August 2007. He has had no respiratory problems since the last laser and dilation procedure in 2007.
Aaron's Tracheostomy Page 