Staff members in the Division of Pediatric General Surgery provide care for
children with a variety of conditions, including congenital anomalies, childhood
tumors, trauma, and burns.
The oldest of the surgical divisions at Children's Memorial Hospital,
pediatric general surgery was founded and directed by the hospital's first
full-time surgeon-in-chief, Dr. Willis Potts. Giving rise to many of the other
pediatric surgery sub-specialty areas that now exist, the division is not
defined by a single organ system or a single group of diagnoses. Instead,
pediatric surgeons use their wide-ranging skills to treat conditions of
childhood that require surgery on the head and neck, the chest, abdomen, and
extremities.
In addition to their expertise in general pediatric
surgery, members of the division oversee the following special programs:
- Minimally invasive procedures
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO, a kind of
heart/lung bypass procedure for temporary life support)
- Pediatric trauma/burn care
More details on these programs can be found here.
In addition to clinical care, pediatric general surgery has been highly
involved over the years in pediatric surgical research and education. In fact,
Children's Memorial boasts the second oldest pediatric surgery training program
in the United States.
The division's staff
Trained as general surgeons, with two extra years of
training in pediatric surgery, the division's highly experienced, full-time
attending physicians perform thousands of procedures annually. The staff also includes fellows
in pediatric general surgery and fellows in pediatric surgery/critical care.
(Fellows are general surgeons who are getting the additional years of training
in their subspecialty area.)
The team also includes an experienced clinical nurse specialist, Teri
Crawley-Coha, RN, MSN, WOCN. She practices alongside the surgeons at the main
hospital in Chicago and is especially interested in the care of children with
gastrotomy tubes, those who need help with bowel management, cecostomy care,
ostomies in general and in wound care. She is a valuable resource to parents who
need extra care and guidance in the care of their children related to
surgery.
Consultations
In-person consultations on any possible surgical condition are a hallmark of
the division's strong commitment to excellent patient care. Not only does this
meeting allow the surgeon to make an assessment of the patient's clinical needs,
it also creates the foundation for trust between anxious parents and the person
who will ultimately perform their child's surgery.
In addition to meeting with families and children who need
surgery immediately, pediatric surgeons at Children's Memorial frequently
provide prenatal consultations to expectant parents. These occur after an
ultrasound reveals a congenital anomaly that may require surgery after birth. A
thorough discussion of surgical options prior to the time surgery is required is
often essential. Besides the procedure, surgeons and families discuss where the
birth should occur — if surgery will be required immediately following — and what
method of delivery is best for mother and child. This is particularly important
when there is any concern or a congenital anomaly or a neonatal
tumor.