Our General Surgery Program provides general surgery consult, evaluation and surgery preparation education to the patient and the family before a child gets scheduled for their surgery. The care team provides patient and family centered care for infants, children and adolescents up to the age of 21, who have hernias, gastroschisis, skin tags and other conditions that need general surgery to treat a condition. The General Surgery Program also provides care to expectant mothers.
Clinical Evaluation & Treatment
Our surgeons will do a complete physical exam, consultation and evaluation to confirm or narrow down a suspected diagnosis. Some common tests performed include x-rays, lab tests and other diagnostic procedures to help diagnose the condition.
Non-Surgical Care
Very minor procedures with the use of lidocaine to numb the skin area can be done in the outpatient setting, such as the removal of skin tags to remove benign skin growths. Dressings also can be applied to cover wounds.
General Surgical Care
The surgeon will explain the surgical procedure and the surgical care team will schedule the surgery time if the patient’s surgery doesn’t require an authorization (i.e. PPO, HMO). If the patient does require authorization, then the surgical care team will request an authorization. Once the authorization is received, (usually one to two weeks later) the surgical care team will contact the family to schedule the surgery.
Surgeries take place in our Surgical Center and most surgeries are now done using minimally invasive technology.
Prenatal Consults
Prenatal consults are given to women who have a baby in utero that has been diagnosed with gastroschisis. Gastroschisis is an opening in the abdominal wall (muscles and skin of the abdomen) that appears during fetal development. The general surgeon will explain to the expectant mother, how and when the surgery will happen on her baby after she delivers and will give her an overview of the neonatal intensive care unit where the baby will recover.
We are a perfect fit for this type of care, because we have board-certified pediatric surgeons and a level IV NICU with expert neonatologists, who work together to create the best outcome for baby, under the same roof.
Follow-Up Care
Most patients will be asked to complete post-operative follow-up care with the care team to ensure that there are no complications from the surgery and that the patient is recovering well. This typically happens in the two to three weeks following the surgery. After a few follow-up visits care is usually returned back to the primary care physician. Follow-up care may be longer for children who had a more complicated surgery.
Centers & Programs
Our Surgical Center cares for children from newborns to young adults, who need common or complex surgical treatments in a leading, state-of-the-art surgical center designed just for kids.
Your Care Team
Our General Surgery care team provides consultation, comprehensive assessment including review of past and current medical history, physical examination, diagnosis, treatment and overall case management of a child’s special medical needs.
Physicians
Other Team Members
The surgery scheduler is responsible for arranging authorizations for procedures, appointments, special tests and studies and communication among the child, family, primary care physician, team and others involved in the care of the child
Child life specialists or assistants can help your child better understand his or her condition and treatment while making him or her feel more comfortable during their stay or visit to Miller Children’s & Women's.
