Q: My 3 years and 10 months old daughter overcame a successful tracheo-esophageal surgery on the third day after her birth. She frequently suffers from cold and acute cough along with palpitations. The doctor often prescribes strong antibiotics, which provide temporary relief but within a few days the same problem recurs following exposure to cold air in parks or change of temperature/climate or sometimes even while returning from school. Recently, the doctor has prescribed a chewing tablet - Ranbaxy's Romilast 4 mg daily before bed for 60 days. However, my wife has discontinued this tablet as the same has been prescribed against inter alia mild asthma. My daughter is still suffering from the disease. Please advise.

A:There could be multiple reasons for repeated episodes of cough and cold in children who have been operated for Tracheo-esophageal fistula. It could be due to tracheobronchomalacia, which means the walls of the windpipe and related airways are relatively weak and flop while breathing and tend to give rise to poor clearance of secretions. Other reason could be hyper-reactive airways, which are same as mild asthma, and if this is the case nebulized or inhaled medicines may help. Another reason could be gastroesophageal reflux, which means stomach contents regurgitate back into the food pipe and cause recurrent cough and cold. I am sure your paediatrician would consider and evaluate for these possibilities.