Baby Isabella: Rare diagnosis to remarkable outcome at Medical City Children's Hospital

“They’re angels in scrubs.”

That’s how Maria Pulido describes the NICU team at Medical City Children’s Hospital, whose excellent care helped her newborn Isabella achieve a full and speedy recovery.

When Isabella was born at Medical City Dallas this past May, she faced a rare and serious condition called long gap esophageal atresia, meaning her esophagus wasn’t connected to her stomach. Typically, treatment requires large incisions and several surgeries over many months.

But Isabella’s journey was unique. She was the first patient at our hospital to undergo a minimally invasive procedure where doctors used small sutures to bring the two ends of her esophagus together.
Just one week later, Isabella’s esophagus was successfully connected. Instead of spending months in the hospital, she was home within a few weeks.

Maria says, “We are so grateful they had the courage and knowledge to do this procedure. The care team was truly a godsend.”

Now, at three months old, Isabella is hitting her milestones, smiling, and soaking up all the love from her parents at home.

“We are just so blessed and so happy to have her home,” Maria says. “She knows we’re by her side all the time.”

At Medical City Children’s Hospital, we are honored to provide advanced, compassionate care for our smallest patients, and to celebrate incredible outcomes like baby Isabella’s.