The University of Maryland Hospital for Children offers pediatric surgical services in the following areas:
From complex surgical cases, such as separating conjoined twins, to more common procedures, like repairing hernias, the University of Maryland Hospital for Children offers high-quality surgical services for children.
“What sets us apart when it comes to pediatric surgery is a well-trained staff, an excellent facility and a caring environment,” says Roger Voigt, M.D., chief of pediatric surgery at the University of Maryland Hospital for Children and assistant professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Children are not just miniature adults. Throughout their surgical experience, they need doctors and nurses specially trained in caring for the smallest and youngest patients.
Parents can take comfort in knowing that with the largest neonatal intensive care unit in the state, the University of Maryland Hospital for Children surgeons are able to operate on babies who weigh under 500 grams. The surgical team includes surgeons, pediatric anesthesiologists, intensive care physicians and specialized nursing staff. They are experts in providing care for all children, from premature newborns to young adults.
At the University of Maryland Hospital for Children, the pediatric surgical staff has been specially trained in taking care of children.
“We believe there are many important ways to meet the needs of pediatric patients, such as having parents be with a child, a child life staff to help children and families cope, and educational support on the uniqueness of children for everyone who works with children in the hospital. That includes physicians and nurses, as well as respiratory, pharmacy and lab staff. There are many areas of care that staff who are most familiar with working with adults don’t necessarily think about when working with children,” says Kathe Campbell, M.S., R.N., director of Women and Children’s Health at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
The University of Maryland Hospital for Children’s facilities are child-friendly. At the Pediatric Surgi-Center, most children are put at ease the moment they enter the waiting room. There are video games, toys and bright colors to stimulate the children. Even the walls of the operating rooms are painted with an underwater scene to help children relax.
The operating rooms are state-of-the-art, equipped with the most technologically advanced equipment. Pediatric surgeons in multiple specialties have a high-level of expertise in minimally invasive surgery, allowing children to have faster recoveries.
Following surgery, children are transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit, the pediatric inpatient floor or some go home after a short recovery time in the Surgi-Center. Highly trained staff provides expert pediatric surgical postoperative nursing care. The staff supports a model of developmentally sensitive, family-centered care.
“When making the decision about where a child should have surgery, it is important for parents to consider whether the staff is specifically trained in pediatric surgical specialties,” says Dr. Voigt.
|
Email this Page
Print this Page © 2008 University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). All rights reserved.
UMMC is a member of the University of Maryland Medical System, 22 S. Greene
Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. 1.800.492.5538 TDD: 1.800.735.2258
Physician Referral: 1.800.373.4111
