Journal of pediatric surgery
-
As reimbursement programs shift to value-based payment models emphasizing quality and efficient healthcare delivery, there exists a need to better understand process management to unearth true costs of patient care. We sought to identify cost-reduction opportunities in simple appendicitis management by applying a time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) methodology to this high-volume surgical condition. ⋯ II.
-
The ability to safely insert a central venous catheter (CVC) is critical to avoid associated complications. The aim of this study was to explore appropriate technique to maintain the safety of pediatric patients during CVC. ⋯ Treatment Study - Level IV.
-
Standardization in perioperative care has led to major improvements in surgical outcomes during the last two decades. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs are one example of a clinical pathway impacting both surgical outcomes and efficiency of care, but these programs have not yet been widely adapted for surgery in children. In adults, ERAS pathways have been shown to reduce length of stay, reduce complication rates, and improve patient satisfaction. ⋯ Currently, the direct evidence for adapting ERAS pathways to pediatric surgery patients is limited. Challenges for implementation of ERAS programs for children include lack of direct translatability of adult evidence as well as varying levels acceptability of ERAS principles among pediatric providers and patients' families. We describe our newly implemented ERAS program for pediatric colorectal surgery patients in an era of limited direct evidence and discuss what further issues need to be addressed for broader implementation of pediatric ERAS pathways.
-
Comparative Study Observational Study
Comparison of pediatric motor vehicle collision injury outcomes at Level I trauma centers.
Examine the association of American College of Surgeons Level I pediatric trauma center designation with outcomes of pediatric motor vehicle collision-related injuries. ⋯ Compared with freestanding PTCs, children treated at general ATCs experienced more complications; adolescents treated at ATC+PTCs or general ATCs had greater odds of death. Identification and sharing of best practices among Level I trauma centers may reduce variation in care and improve outcomes for children.
-
Surgical management of esophageal achalasia (EA) in children has transitioned over the past 2 decades to predominantly involve laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) or minimally invasive surgery (MIS). More recently, peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has been utilized to treat achalasia in children. Since the overall experience with surgical management of EA is contingent upon disease incidence and surgeon experience, the aim of this study is to report a single institutional contemporary experience for outcomes of surgical treatment of EA by LHM and POEM, with regards to other comparable series in children. ⋯ Esophageal achalasia in children occurs at a much lower incidence than in adults as documented by published series describing the surgical treatment in children. We believe the MIS surgical approach remains the standard of care for this condition in children and describe the surgical outcomes and complications for LHM, as well as, the introduction of the POEM technique in our center for treating achalasia. Our institutional experience described herein represents the largest in the "MIS era" with excellent results. We will refer to alterations in our practice that have included the use of flexible endoscopy in 100% of LHM cases and use of the endoscopic functional lumen imaging probe (EndoFLIP) in both LHM and POEM cases which we believe enables adequate Heller myotomy.