Quality Reports - Orthopedics
Survival by diagnosis
Why we measure it - Overwhelmingly, survival is the first and most important statistic parents and others ask about. We measure survival for a number of diagnoses and compare ourselves to the national average to make sure we are providing the best care possible.
About the data - The data reflect patient survival for those undergoing select orthopedic procedures at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin compared to Pediatric Hospital Information System peers. PHIS hospitals represent other leading free-standing pediatric hospitals.
What this means - We have a 100 percent survival rate for patients undergoing surgery for these diagnoses.
Related dimensions of care:
 
What we're doing to provide the best care:
- General
- We have pediatric-trained anesthesiologists and an excellent Pediatric Intensive Care Unit staffed by pediatric experts. These individuals help us achieve great outcomes.
- We work closely with specialists in the Jane B. Pettit Pain and Palliative Care Center to reduce pain after orthopedic surgery and keep children as comfortable as possible.
- Orthopedic staff is involved in basic science and clinical research including:
- Improving ways of mapping the spine to monitor scoliosis without using X-rays.
- Growth modulation devices to correct scoliosis without fusion.
- We have a pediatric orthopedic nurse clinician who coordinates inpatient stays, discharge planning and follow-up clinic visits.
- Scoliosis
- Our goal is to manage scoliosis without surgery, however, when surgery is needed, orthopedic surgeons at Children's Hospital use the most advanced techniques in scoliosis surgery, including a fairly new procedure that dramatically reduces recovery time from months to days.
- We hold a surgical support group every other month for children who need or have had scoliosis surgery. A multidisciplinary medical team offers information about the surgery, what to expect while in the hospital, and past surgical patients talk about their experiences. The meeting is followed by a tour of the surgery area and a patient room.
- Spine
- During spinal surgery, patients receive real-time spinal cord monitoring supervised by a trained neurologist.
- We specialize in performing spinal surgeries on children with special health care needs, including muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. These patients often require additional expertise because of their multiple medications and complex health histories.
- Club foot
- We use the Ponseti casting technique to treat clubfoot, which shows better long-term outcomes while avoiding surgery in most cases.
Patients and families:
- Take a pre-operative tour, which will help prepare patients and families for the procedure and hospital stay.
- Follow all eating and drinking restrictions before surgery.
- Bring a list of the medications your child takes with you on the day of the surgery. Make sure to include the name of the medication, the dose or amount and how your child takes it (swallows a pill, drinks a liquid). This is important information to help us care for your child while he or she is in the hospital.
- Provide your referring doctor's name and address so we can send a detailed letter about the surgery that is performed.
- Be an advocate for your child. Participate in daily bedside clinical discussions and provide any information about your child that may be helpful to staff.
- Ask questions if you don't understand the plan of care or if you are not sure how to care for your child at home.
- Attend all follow-up appointments.
- If you cannot keep a scheduled appointment, please call Central Scheduling at (877) 607-5280 or (414) 607-5280 as soon as possible to reschedule so another child can be seen.
If you have questions about these data or information, email us or call (414) 266-6556.
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