Vall d’Hebron Hospital pioneer in non-invasive pediatric surgery

Barcelona (ACN).- The Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, one of the pioneer hospitals worldwide in non-invasive surgery in children, is planning to use minimally invasive methods with 70 percent of its pediatric surgeries. This week various pediatric surgery specialists gathered in a congress at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital Campus to share their professional expertise. The Vall d’Hebron Hospital is one of the few hospitals capable of performing surgery on a newborn with a weight of less than 1.5 kilograms or on a 24 week-old fetus with spine bifida. Since the incorporation of Doctor Manuel López as Head of Services, pediatric laparoscopy has gotten a new boost. López has set the objective of performing the majority of the 2000 annual surgeries on children with innovative methods.

The Vall d’Hebron Hospital is now one of the hospitals capable of performing surgery on a newborn with a weight of less than 1.5 kilograms or on a 24 week-old fetus with spine bifida. Since the incorporation of Doctor Manuel López as Head of Service, pediatric laparoscopy has gotten a new boost. López has set the objective of performing 70 percent of the 2000 annual pediatric operations with innovative methods. Just this week more than 200 specialists in pediatric surgery gathered for a congress at the hospital’s campus, where one of the aspects offered to the experts is the possibility of participating in simulations as a practical approach to gain experience with these new non-invasive surgery methods.

It’s the first time that the Vall d’Hebron Campus has organized a congress dedicated to the theory and practical application of innovative minimally invasive methods in pediatric surgery. The Vall d’Hebron Hospital is one of the leading hospitals in this field in Spain, performing surgery in low-weight newborns (less than 1.5 kg), with fewer incisions, thereby reducing both the postoperative period and post-surgery complications.

The driving force behind the application of these surgery methods is the new Head of Service of Pediatric Surgery, Manuel López, a doctor with broad experience in different hospitals in France. For López the objective is to perform up to 70 percent of the 2,000 annual surgeries in children at this hospital through laparoscopy techniques with incisions of less than three millimeters. Improved recovery is one of the principal advantages of this innovation, since the post-operative period can be reduced substantially for the pediatric patients.

The president of the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group (IPEG), Doctor David van ser Zee, supports this approach as the best way to guarantee a “happy life” for pediatric patients, with fewer complicated procedures. Steve Rothenberg from the pediatric Rocky Mountain Hospital in Denver, Colorado (USA), has emphasized that smaller incisions do not affect child development and therefore those patients enjoy a faster recovery.

Among the most successful cases at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital is the outstanding case of the surgery on a low-weight newborn who suffered from Esophageal atresia, a congenital medical condition that can lead to lung injuries, but which was in this case operated on without complications. The recent surgical intervention in an infant weighing 1.6 kilograms who suffered from Diaphragmatic hernia was another success.

The importance of simulations

Simulation plays a key role in the development of new surgery methods and their successful application. The Vall d’Hebron Hospital is also a pacesetter in this area. The congress at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital with more than 200 specialists in the field of pediatric laparoscopy was of special importance in this context. Last Monday, the Doctor Carles Giné's team conducted a simulation to minimize the effects of Esophageal atresia in a 24 week-old fetus. Even though there is no cure for this disease, which can lead to severe discapacity, this surgical intervention can alter the progression of the disease in a way that can “lock” the effect of the pathology and keep it from progressing further.