Pediatric surgery is a special form of medical treatment related to surgeries among infants, children, and adolescents. In the 20th century, pediatric surgery surfaced because the surgical procedure of birth defects needed noble techniques. Pediatric surgery is a separate specialty. The surgeons and the doctors need to be extremely careful while dealing with their patients. Their patients are not full-grown adults who understand the procedure and the pain they might need to go through but are children who have different physiology and psychology.
Pediatric surgery is a complex process and phase for the child but more than that for the parents. Seeing your children go through the suffering and letting them undergo complex medical procedures is a huge challenge in itself.
Pediatric operations have different effects on different children; the child needs better counseling from the parents and the doctor before getting into any kind of procedure. There are many kinds of pediatric surgeries which are generally related to urological, gynecological, cardiothoracic, and general issues.
Before proceeding further with the surgical procedure, the child needs to be appropriately examined for any other pre-existing conditions or ailments that can cause trouble or complications. An excellent pediatrician for children is able to detect and solve these problems at ease.
The various categories in which pediatric surgeries have been divided are described below:
What are the different types of pediatric surgeries?
Pediatric surgeries are divided into four categories. The doctor needs to understand better the need and perfect time for the surgery of their child. The four categories are:
- Major surgeries: The surgeries related to head, neck, chest, and some abdominal operations are called major surgeries. These surgeries have complex procedures and need to be planned properly. These surgeries have a more extended recovery period and have longer hospitalization time. Pediatric operations like tumor removal from the central nervous system, congenital heart defects are included in this category. Other procedures like correction of skull malformations, gastrointestinal surgeries, etc., are included in this.
- Minor Surgeries: Minor pediatric surgeries are the one which includes less complicated procedures and have shorter recovery times. The Minor pediatric surgical procedures include removal of excess skin, biopsies, and correction of long bone fractures. The chances of complications in these types of surgeries are close to zero only. The children are generally allowed to go home the same day or at a comparatively lesser time.
- Elective surgeries: Elective surgeries are the types of surgeries that can be avoided for an extended period of time. These are the ones where the child does not necessarily need to be operated on. The surgeon can postpone the dates according to convenience, for example, the surgical procedure of circumcision in boys.
- Urgent Surgeries: These are Surgeries that need to be performed immediately, without which the child won’t be able to survive. These include fatal injuries caused during accidents or congenital heart diseases at the time of birth. A minor delay in these procedures can cost a life.
Now that we know about the different types of pediatric surgeries let us know about the 10 most common pediatric surgeries.
What are the most common Pediatric Surgical Conditions?
These are the 10 most commonly performed pediatric operations:
- Cancer treatments: Various types of cancers related to the liver, lungs, and other organs and parts of the body can nowadays be found among children.
- Appendectomy: When the appendix becomes infected or painful, it needs to be removed.
- Gallbladder surgery: The Gallbladder can get infected due to a stone or a virus, this can be extremely painful for the child, and surgery for the removal needs to be performed.
- Bowed Chest: This condition occurs when the breast bone and the ribs of the child grow disproportionately.
- Biliary Atresia: This is a defect caused during the time of birth where the bile duct fails to empty properly.
- Congenital diseases: Also called birth defects, congenital disorders, develop prenatally and may be identified before or at birth, or later in life. Many organs can be deformed due to these diseases. The surgeon needs to reconstruct such organs and prescribe pediatric medicine for a quicker recovery of the child.
- Bariatric Surgery: A treatment for childhood obesity which includes the insertion of a balloon inside the oesophagus to reduce the appetite.
- Diseased Intestines: At the time of birth, the cells of the child’s intestines can be severely damaged and this might need the surgical treatment of removal of diseased intestines.
- Reproductive defects: The child can suffer from congenital disabilities in the reproductive organs, and a surgical procedure might be needed as a solution.
- Imperforate Anus: Many children are born with the anal opening being at the wrong place. This needs to be corrected with the help of surgery to allow the waste material to pass through the bowel.
We know that it is a difficult phase for a child when undergoing pediatric surgeries, and the child can be frightened of this. The child needs to be consoled properly before any procedure. Here is a better guide on how to explain pediatric surgery to your child.
How to prepare your child before pediatric surgery?
Before the surgery, the child can have many questions and queries regarding the surgery. It would be better if you don’t hide anything from the child as everyone likes to get the right and true answers. Before the surgery, the parents can tell the child about all the required information about the surgery.
The child may also be allowed to have a few or more than a few words with the pediatric surgeon or the pediatrician before the surgery as this will help them to better trust the surgeon and calm themselves.
These were some methods that can help you better deal with your child before a pediatric surgery.
Department of Pediatrics at Dr. Chaudhary Hospital
Established in 2005, Dr. Chaudhary Hospital, Udaipur is Rajasthan’s most trusted multi-specialty hospital. The doctors at the hospital are qualified professionals with years of experience helping patients with their problems, ailments, and diseases.
The Department of Pediatrics at Chaudhary Hospital consists of highly trained and qualified pediatric doctors and surgeons, nurses, and helping staff trained from the best medical institutes. They have been providing their diligent and esteemed services in Udaipur and work hard to ensure the availability of the best medical facilities for your child.
We keep complete track of the child’s medical history and operate in all pediatric ailments, major and minor surgical procedures like Appendectomy, Cancer treatments, Gallbladder surgery, Bariatric surgery, and many more. With our 24-hour emergency ward, we make sure that your child gets the necessary treatment at any time of the day, any day.
