For the past 20 years, things have been looking better for pediatric patients requiring surgery. Big strides in pediatric surgery have helped reduce post-surgical recovery time significantly. Thanks to advances in technology and medical tool manufacturing, pediatric surgery is becoming much less invasive, even for some of the most complex surgeries.
Though slower than the general surgeon population in embracing laparoscopic options for their patients, pediatric surgeons have become more proficient in this type of surgery in the past two decades. The lag was due mostly to the lack of laparoscopic tools designed specifically for children. Up to the mid-90s, laparoscopies were performed solely on adults and manufacturers didn't make "child-size" laparoscopic surgical tools until a significant number of pediatric surgeons demanded the customized tools.
Thanks to the equipment available to pediatric surgeons today, many procedures are now performed through minimally invasive procedures using laparoscopic tools, making the recovery shorter and less painful. These surgical options also help reduce the need for pain medication, a major benefit for the younger patients, especially infants. Other benefits include significantly shorter hospital stays after surgeries, which in turn, reduces overall healthcare costs for families.
Telemedicine, the use of telecommunications technology and equipment to deliver medical information and services, is also key to the availability of services provided for and by surgeons, in general. Telemedicine helps surgeons worldwide by making expertise easier to share, especially in remote areas, where state-of- the-art equipment or pediatric expertise may not be readily available. A pediatric surgeon in Kansas, for example, may share his expertise with physicians working in disaster-relief areas after a catastrophic event, when transporting patients for critical care may not be an option.
Surgeons searching for enhanced expertise in areas of laparoscopic surgery to treat conditions in children can also take advantage of training via telemedicine. This type of training can be delivered more effectively and efficiently by its ability to reach a larger audience of surgeons at once.
Surgeons worldwide are also exploring the use of robotic surgery systems. This concept should not be confused with the replacement of a doctor for a robot, or substituting the vast experience and knowledge of a surgeon for a robotic system. On the contrary, a robotic surgical system may be used by the surgeon as an enhanced tool that will benefit both doctor and patient. Through the use of a robotic system, the surgeon is able to gain better optical and surgical capabilities for the smaller areas that are being treated, especially in children.
Undoubtedly, healthcare professionals overall will continue to explore technology and medical manufacturing of surgical tools for enhancements of medical care for all patients, including the youngest of newborns.
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