Scope and Safety of Paediatric Surgery in a Model III Hospital

Introduction Elective and emergency paediatric general surgery is performed in numerous hospitals but with differing exclusion and transfer thresholds. Recent national guidelines detail necessary surgical, anaesthetic and nursing resources for safe and efficient delivery of services. Methods A retrospective review of paediatric surgical admissions was performed from January 2015 to December 2016. Charts of prolonged admissions or readmissions were reviewed. Results There was a total of 2,079 surgical admissions. 575 (27.2%) were elective and 1504 (71.2%) were emergency admissions. Significantly more surgical procedures were performed in 2016 (n=546, 56% versus n=433, 44.2%). Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the most commonly performed procedure. Re-admission rates were lower in 2016 (n=9, 0.8% versus n=21, 2.2%). All complications were Clavien-Dindo Grade I or II. Discussion Paediatric general surgery can be safely and efficiently performed by staffed and resourced Model III hospitals.