General Pediatric Surgery

Yale New Haven Children's Hospital pediatric surgical team provide expert, compassionate and family-centered care for infants, children and adolescents. The surgical care team's pediatric expertise includes advanced minimally invasive surgery, surgical oncology, consultations for fetal congenital anomalies, pediatric trauma, outpatient surgery, and the program for extra-corporeal life support (ECMO) for infants and children with life-threatening cardio-respiratory failure.

Our specialized pediatric-trained staff provides support to children having either inpatient or outpatient surgical or diagnostic procedures. Child life specialists are available to further ease any anxiety children may have before their surgery.

The Pediatric Surgery Center is dedicated to pediatric patients and is designed to meet their unique needs. The Center has six operating rooms, four exam/treatment rooms and a recovery area (post-anesthesia care unit or PACU) where children are monitored after anesthesia. Our pediatric anesthesiologists are devoted exclusively to the care of children and work around-the-clock with pediatric surgeons with a range of special expertise. Parents are encouraged to be with their child before and after surgery or anesthesia. 

In addition to our main campus in New Haven, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital provides greater access to families in CT through our outpatient surgical sites. Our pediatric surgeons also provide services to patients closer to home at Greenwich Hospital, Park Avenue Medical Center and Shoreline Surgery Center. 

The pediatric surgical team also collaborates with Maternal Fetal Medicine and the Fetal Care Center in caring for babies while still in their mother's womb. 

Preparing for surgery

Surgical procedures include:

• Repair of hernias, including inguinal, umbilical, epigastric
• Repair of hydroceles
• Repair of undescended testes
• Circumcision
• Excision of "lumps and bumps" in the head, neck and other areas of the body, including cysts, dermoids, pilomatrixomas, lipomas
• Excisional biopsy of skin lesions in all areas of the body, including moles, nevi and lesions
• Placement of vascular access devices (Broviac and porta cath devices)
• Laparoscopic gall bladder removal
• Repair of congenital malformations and abnormalities including esophageal atresia, all types of intestinal atresia, abdominal wall defects (gastroschisis and omphalocele), congenital lung masses, congenital diaphragmatic hernia and malrotation of the intestine
• Treatment of surgical problems of premature infants such as necrotizing enterocolitis
• Surgical removal of all types of tumors
• Placement of gastrostomy tube
• Emergency operations for acute life-threatening conditions such as intussusception and appendicitis
• Complex head and neck surgery
• Abdominal and chest cavity operations involving the intestine, liver, spleen, kidneys, chest and lungs
• Treatment of pelvic disorders such as ovarian cysts and tumors
• Separation of conjoined twins
• Minimally invasive video-assisted surgery of all types