Aaron Bissell
TrachKid Profile
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Aaron was born on July 28th, 1993 at 26 weeks gestation, weight 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 had many of the common problems of prematurity.
Aaron had a tracheostomy for 4 years because of acquired subglottic stenosis. He had scar tissue and narrowing in his trachea (wind pipe) due to the trauma of being on a ventilator. His trachea was damaged from the endotracheal tube (ET tube) that the doctors place in his airway for mechanical ventilation. The ventilator saved his life, but no medical procedure is done without the possibility of complications. The tracheostomy tube by-passed the damaged area.
Aaron's condition was complicated by bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), which is a respiratory problem common in preemies secondary to mechanical ventilation. Aaron was O2 dependent for 3 years. We waited until Aaron's respiratory status improved before attempting his tracheal reconstructive surgery to correct his subglottic stenosis.
Update December 2000: Aaron continues to have problems with scar tissue in his airway and is monitored closely by his ENT.
History
- Blog
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- Member for
- 39 weeks 5 days
Location
- Country
- United States
- State/Province
- Massachusetts
