SERVICES PROVIDED

The department of Paediatric Surgery has a ward with a strength of 50 beds - including an eight-bed intensive care unit and a separate operation theatre complex with an endoscopy room. The department deals with a wide spectrum of cases below the age of twelve years.

Both emergency and elective cases are seen; the referrals being from private practitioners, school health clinics, outpatient clinics, peripheral primary and secondary health care centres and from the Department of Paediatrics and Neonatology. Regional patients form neighboring states are also treated in the division..

The department provides emergency services daily with two able registrars available on the floor (one in the surgical I.C.U. and one in the wards) round the clock. The department runs out patient clinics twice a week. It runs two operation theatres five days a week. The total surgeries performed annually are about 2000; 800 of which are major operations. Routine upper G. I. Endoscopies are done twice a week; upto 200 endoscopies are performed annually.

Division of Paediatric Surgery covers a wide area of work namely :

1) General Paediatric Surgery

This includes problems such as hernias, uro-genital lesions, lumps and bumps, head and neck lesions, haemangioma, lymphangioma, cystic hygroma and perianal conditions.

2) Neonatal Surgery

Expectant mothers with babies with congenital anomalies are seen together with the obstetrician doing the ultrasound assessments and their management planned. Gastro-intestinal, abdominal wall defects, diaphragmati hernias, lungs cystic and malformations, teratomas (sacroccygeal, mediastinal, pharyngeal and cervical) and renal anomalies are among conditions diagnosed and managed.

3) Thoracic Surgery

All extra cardiac thoracic lesions in the neonates are followed up from antenatal diagnosis to post-natal surgery by the division. The commonest of the conditions managed are lung cyst, cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lungs, pulmonary sequestration and congenital lobar emphysema. Intra thoracic tumours, lung bulae with recurrent pneumothorax, esophageal atresia and fistula are also dealt with.

4) Hepato-biliary

Biliary atresia and choledochal cyst are common hepato-biliary conditions seen in the division. Liver tumours, though uncommon, are managed together with Paediatric oncologist.

5) Urology

Paediatric urology makes up about 30% of the work of the division. Nephrectomies, nephro-ureterectomies and partial nephrectomies are carried out. Pyeloplasties, hypospadias repair, undescended testis, neurogenic bladder and vesico-ureteric reflux are common urologic conditions seen.

6) Surgical Oncology

Wilm's tumours, neuroblastoma, hepatoblastoma and mediastinal tumours are managed jointly with Medical Paediatric Oncology.

7) Minimally invasive surgeries

Both diagnostic & therapeutic laparoscopies and thoracoscopies are regularly performed.Various indications like undescended testis,appendicitis,empyema,hydatid disease,choledochal cyst.