Pediatric Surgery was founded in 2012 and is the only formally organized pediatric surgery diagnosis and treatment center in western Shenzhen. It has a highly skilled specialist team consisting of 20 physicians and runs 2 wards with 56 beds. The department has established the Green Channel for Diagnosis and Treatment of Intussusception in Bao’an District, which further improves the success rate of reduction and relieves pain in children. The department actively provides high-quality specialist nursing and fully implements the concept of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) to accelerate recovery and shorten hospital stays.
The department currently comprises four subspecialties: Cardiothoracic Surgery, Urology, Orthopedics, and General Surgery. It has developed rapidly, with an annual outpatient volume of more than 50,000 visits and approximately 2,000 operations per year.
Minimally invasive pediatric surgery is a major feature of the department. Thoracoscopic/laparoscopic procedures are performed for: esophageal atresia, diaphragmatic hernia, congenital megacolon, high anal atresia, Meckel’s diverticulum, appendicitis, inguinal hernia, and other conditions. In cardiothoracic surgery, minimally invasive procedures for congenital heart diseases are available, including minimally invasive extracorporeal circulation, small-incision surgery, and endoscopic repair.
In the past three years, the department has performed 158 pediatric cardiothoracic surgeries. The youngest operated infant was 6 hours old, the lowest body weight was 700 grams, and the lowest weight for extracorporeal circulation support was 2 kg. The department independently performs extracorporeal circulation surgery for children under 5 kg (accounting for 80% of cases), interventional therapy for severe pulmonary stenosis in the neonatal period, and ECMO support for critically ill infants and young children.