Standards for Pediatric Surgical Specialty Care | Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University

A pediatric surgeon has completed a 5-year residency training in general surgery, plus a 2-year fellowship in pediatric surgery. He or she is certified by the American Board of Surgery and has further specialized in the surgical treatment of children. The American Board of Surgery now offers a subspecialty certificate in pediatric surgery that can be earned by those Diplomates of the American Board of Surgery who have specialized in pediatric surgery. For purposes of developing these recommendations, the following age group definitions are used: infant (0–1 year), child (2–12 years), and adolescent (13–18 years).

<ul>
<li class="innertext">Patients 5 years or younger who may need surgical care should be cared for by a pediatric surgeon.</li>

<li class="innertext">Seriously injured infants and children may be stabilized at a local hospital and then should be transferred to a pediatric trauma center. </li>

<li class="innertext">Infants, children, and adolescents with solid malignancies should be cared for from the outset by a pediatric surgeon or pediatric surgical specialist and a pediatric medical cancer specialist. </li>

<li class="innertext">Minimally invasive procedures (eg, laparoscopy, thoracoscopy) in infants and children should be performed by a pediatric surgeon trained in these techniques. </li>

<li class="innertext">Infants and children with medical conditions that increase operative risk (eg, congenital heart disease, preterm birth) who must undergo a common surgical procedure (eg, hernia repair) should be cared for by a pediatric surgeon. </li>

</ul>

In the interest of good patient care, it is suggested that a general surgeon who cares for pediatric surgical problems not listed in the above categories should have had a minimum 6-month rotation as a junior or senior resident during his or her general surgical residency on a pediatric surgical service run by a pediatric surgeon. Emphasis in the training rotation should be on surgery in children older than 5 years.

A general surgeon performing surgery in children not listed in the above categories should care for a sufficient number of children annually to maintain a high level of competence and should annually attend pediatric surgery postgraduate courses and meetings.

— From <a href="https://www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sites/default/files/pediatric-genera…; target="_blank">Referral to Pediatric Surgical Specialists</a>, official policy statement of the <a href="http://www.aap.org/" target="_blank">American Academy of Pediatrics</a>.