Quality Reports - Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery

Surgical Volume - Newborns

Why we measure it - Newborns (0-28 days old) are the most fragile patients and are at higher risk for complications. Research shows that surgeons and hospitals that treat a large number of patients tend to provide better care and have improved outcomes for treatments and procedures. All surgeons and anethesiologists at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin are board eligible or qualified in pediatric surgery and pediatric anesthesiology, respectively, increasing their knowledge and expertise in caring for newborns.

Patient Impact   Ty Mursau, pictured at age 18 months, was born weighing 1.1 kg. at 29 weeks gestation with esophageal atresia and tracheo-esophageal fistula. As a neonate, he underwent surgery to repair these birth defects. Though he was premature at birth and faced many obstacles, Ty is doing well today. His case required the advanced capabilities and collaboration of the General/Thoracic Surgery and Neonatalology teams.

What this means - We perform a high number of procedures on premature and full-term newborns with a wide range of diagnoses. We offer minimally invasive procedures on newborns when appropriate. Our surgeons are involved in clinical and bench research to improve our understanding of neonatal surgical diseases. We work closely with neonatologists at Children's Hospital to provide the best possible outcome for our babies.

About the data - This data reflects the number of newborns who required a general or thoracic surgery, classified by year.

Related dimensions of care:

What we're doing to provide the best care:

• We offer minimally invasive procedures for newborns, which are more complicated, but heal faster and cause less pain for the patient.
• We have experience performing Ex Utero Intrapartum Treatment (EXIT) procedures for babies who need immediate surgery after birth. During an EXIT procedure, the baby is delivered and surgery takes place while the newborn is still connected to the mother by the umbilical cord for life support.
• We have developed a database to collect and analyze information regarding the quality of life and long-term survival of children born with congenital defects.
• We run a multidisciplinary clinic for anorectal abnormalities with gastroenterologists and other experts to care for the potential long-term needs of children with complex anorectal malformations and imperforate anus.
• We offer a special long-term follow-up clinic for children with serious surgical conditions to identify any problems as early as possible and provide support as necessary. This allows us to follow the long-term outcomes of our patients.
• Through the Fetal Concerns Program, we offer prenatal counseling and intervention when appropriate to parents whose unborn baby is diagnosed with problems that may require surgery. This allows families and staff time to anticipate needs and plan care, which improves the care provided at birth.
• The Froedtert & Medical College Birth Center is located inside Children's Hospital to reduce the time it takes to get a fragile newborn into surgery. Research shows outcomes improve when the delivery room and operating room are close together. This also offers families the added convenience of having mother and baby hospitalized near one another.