Successful salvage of an 8-month-old child with an aortoesophageal fistula

Aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) from an impacted esophageal foreign body was first described in 1818 and has been a uniformly fatal condition to this date. We report the salvage of an 8-month-old child with an AEF from ingesting a straight pin. She survived a massive gastrointestinal (GI) bleed and primary esophageal and aortic repairs performed in conjunction with aortic shunting, interposed pleural flap, and a diverting cervical esophagostomy. This represents the first successful outcome of an AEF from a foreign body, many of which have been described in infants and children. History of esophageal foreign body and signal upper GI hemorrhage should mandate aggressive diagnosis and surgical intervention.