SPONSORED: When a Child Needs Surgery, Pediatric Training Matters

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Pediatric surgeons are board-certified general surgeons with two additional years of pediatric-specific training to understand children’s unique medical needs. When planning, conducting and helping a child recuperate from surgery, they consider the child’s immediate needs and how the treatment will impact their growth.

At Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) in Little Rock and Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale, board-certified pediatric surgeons are just one member of the team that cares for a child before, during and after surgery.

Arkansas Children’s surgery team includes:

  • anesthesiologists
  • behavioral health specialists
  • child life specialists who translate complex medical terms and concepts into something a child (and their parents or caregivers) can understand through various activities.
  • nurses
  • patient care technicians

“At Arkansas Children’s, every single member of a child’s surgery team has specialized training for treating the physical, mental and emotional needs of a child undergoing surgery,” says M. Sid Dassinger III., M.D., the chief of pediatric general surgery at Arkansas Children’s and a professor of pediatric surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Dassinger says every child experiences surgery differently. A child might experience post-traumatic stress after an ATV accident, or a child might become depressed or anxious before or after surgery.

“We screen every patient for mental health issues and offer individualized support as needed,” Dassinger says.

Arkansas Children’s provides surgical care for everything from congenital anomalies to swallowed batteries. The most common conditions treated surgically by their team include appendicitis, any type of hernia, pyloric stenosis and pilonidal disease.

ACH has received the highest certification for pediatric trauma centers (Level One), by the American College of Surgeons, partly because the Little Rock facility and team are also equipped for and experienced at treating rare conditions surgically. The team is skilled at removing childhood tumors and congenital lung cysts and surgically repairing chest wall deformities like pectus excavatum (sunken chest) or pectus carinatum (pigeon chest).

Arkansas Children’s surgery team prioritizes minimally invasive procedures when possible, which helps pediatric patients recover more quickly and experience fewer complications.

Regardless of the condition or treatment, the goal is to “give every child the best opportunity for an excellent outcome and positive experience,” Dassinger says.

To learn more about the surgical services at Arkansas Children’s, visit the website or call 501.443.7423.

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