Journal of pediatric surgery
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There have been few studies documenting the effect of subspecialty training on outcomes after appendectomy in children. Some studies have suggested a better outcome in patients managed by pediatric surgeons as compared with general surgeons. ⋯ Pediatric surgeons performed significantly fewer negative appendectomies than general surgeons. Although pediatric surgeons kept their patients longer in the hospital, their patients' wound infection and readmission rates were not different from that of the patients of general surgeons.
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This is a first pediatric case about the efficacy of octreotide for improving symptoms of malignant bowel obstruction. A 12-year-old boy was referred to our hospital for treatment of transverse colon cancer with peritoneal dissemination. A transverse colectomy was undertaken with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. ⋯ After 1 week, abdominal symptoms improved and the boy's complaints stopped. He had a good appetite and was able to eat small amounts of food. He was able to spend his final 2 months at home without nausea and in his family surroundings.
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Since using a novel silver-impregnated antimicrobial dressing (Aquacel Ag, ConvaTec, Princeton, NJ) in our pediatric patients with partial-thickness burns, hospital LOS has been significantly reduced. Here we investigated whether there was concomitant cost-effectiveness of this approach. ⋯ These data strongly support our findings that the application of Aquacel Ag reduces hospital LOS which results in a significant cost savings in the care of pediatric patients with partial-thickness burns.
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The vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib (VEPTR) thoracoplasty is a new technique devised for the treatment children with thoracic insufficiency syndrome. This study describes our initial experience with this device. ⋯ Vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib (VEPTR) is a new and safe method to treat children with thoracic insufficiency syndrome. The VEPTR may decrease carbon dioxide retention in some patients and may be most beneficial in younger children.