Pediatric Surgery
What is Pediatric Surgery ?
Pediatric surgery is a subspecialty of general surgery, a branch of medicine that deals with children from their infancy to their teenage years.
Although pediatric surgery also includes the diagnosis of the patient, it is more involved with the treatment, specifically surgical care. A pediatric surgeon, the term used for specialists in this field, develops the best treatment plan for the patient, conducts pre-operative examinations and preparations, and follows up on the patient’s progress as part of the post-surgical care. He or she works closely with the patient’s guardians and/or parents who will be responsible for the majority of the care. He or she may provide instructions and counseling, as well as refer them to support groups or other professionals who can perform therapies to better cope with the child’s illness.
When should you see a Pediatric Surgeon
A pediatric surgeon is needed when:
- The child is born with a congenital defect or experiencing trauma
- The surgery is expected to improve the mobility of the child (for example, a child can grow up with clubbed feet, but he or she still needs to be operated on to gain full function of the feet).
- The surgery is part of the overall treatment plan – This is more evident in pediatric oncology where surgery is often the first form of treatment applied to delay, arrest, or prevent the spread of the disease.
- The previous surgery did not work out, in which case the successive surgery is referred to as corrective
- The patient’s health has to be monitored before and after the surgery
- The child has developed complications after the surgery such as infection, excessive bleeding, and organ failure
- Surgery is part of pain management
- Vascular access is needed (for example, a child may require chemotherapy delivered through a cath port)
Pediatric surgeons can now perform both invasive and minimally invasive surgeries. In invasive surgeries, a bigger cut is needed, in which case, the surgical risks are higher and recovery longer. In minimally invasive surgeries, smaller incisions and scopes are used to improve precision and accuracy. Recovery and risks are expected to be minimal. However, there are cases when open surgery is recommended, especially for advanced or more serious conditions.
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