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Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare outcomes and patient characteristics of telehealth vs in-person contacts in pediatric surgery ambulatory care patients., Methods: All non-Winnipeg telehealth patients (group 1), non-Winnipeg in-person patients (group 2), and a convenience sample of Winnipeg in-person patients (group 3) seen in the pediatric ambulatory surgical clinic and day surgery by one pediatric surgeon in a tertiary urban (Winnipeg, Manitoba) hospital between April 2002 and June 2003 were analyzed., Results: There were 118, 205, and 120 (total, 443) patients and 153, 427, and 246 (total, 826) patient contacts in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Of 826 patient contacts, 272 were day surgery procedures and 554 were consults and follow-ups, of which 27% (n = 152) were seen via telehealth. Of the non-Winnipeg contacts, 33.4% of consults and 51.5% of follow-ups used telehealth. Variations were seen between the telehealth and the 2 in-person groups on average age at contact, patient no-show rates, intraoperative complication rates, and postoperative complication rates. The interval to consult by telehealth decreased significantly during the course of the study., Conclusions: This is the first comparative analysis of telehealth outcomes in a population of pediatric surgery ambulatory care patients. Telehealth improves access to pediatric surgical services without untoward clinical outcomes.

Background/purpose: Traumatic injuries cause substantial morbidity and mortality in children. Trauma registries are essential to assess and improve standards of trauma care. An interprovincial study of pediatric trauma between 6 centers across Canada who use identical software components was completed., Methods: Data were collected from April 1, 1995 to December 31, 1998 for children aged 1 day to 17 years with an injury severity score of > or = 12. Cause of injury, injury time and day, gender, age, injury scores, length of hospital stay, and outcomes were compared., Results: A total of 1,276 patients were included. Mean age was 10.3 +/- 5.6 years. Motor vehicle collisions were the most common mechanism of injury (56%). Boys were more often injured (66%; P < .05). Injuries occurred mainly between 1600 and 2400 hours (P < .0001). Mean hospital stay was 11.5 +/- 16.6 days. The longest stays in the hospital were among those who had an abdominal abbreviated injury score (AIS) of 1 (P < or = .03). Patients with similar injury severities remained twice as long in Winnipeg Children's Hospital (hospital 5), hospital 2, and hospital 6 as compared with patients in hospital 3 (P < .05). Differences existed in discharge placement between hospitals (P < .0001)., Conclusions: This study was the first to compare pediatric patients in multiple Canadian centers using identical trauma registries. Variations in length of stay and discharge placements between hospitals were identified. Further analysis of data in the registries may clarify these differences and serve as a foundation for hospitals to improve the quality of patient care., (Copyright 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.)

This paper reviews our 10 year clinical experience (1974 to 1983) with 33 patients with Crohn's disease; eight were diagnosed during the first five years and 25 during the second five years of the review. There were only 10 patients with ulcerative colitis during this period. The median age of diagnosis was 13 years, range 6 to 16 years. The main presenting clinical features were abdominal pain (29 patients), weight loss (26 patients), and diarrhea (23 patients). The method of diagnosis included radiological investigations and fiberoptic endoscopy with biopsy. The colon was involved in 20 patients. The therapy included Salazopyrine, steroids, parenteral nutrition (11 patients) including home parenteral nutrition (seven patients) and surgery (13 patients). Significant weight gain was observed in patients after intestinal resection. There were no deaths. We conclude that the incidence of pediatric Crohn's disease appears to be increasing, is more common than ulcerative colitis, and requires surgical treatment in a high proportion of patients. In our experience these patients respond well to aggressive nutritional therapy including home parenteral nutrition and carefully selected surgical treatment.

Over a 30-year period (may 1955 to December 1985), day care surgery was performed on 39,654 patients at the Winnipeg Children's Hospital (WCH). Up to 51% of all pediatric surgical cases and 59% of elective pediatric cases, involving more than 50 different procedures, were performed annually on a day-care basis. The overall incidence of postoperative problems and admission to hospital was 1.5% and 1.1%, respectively. A unique preoperative home visiting program by nurses was demonstrably effective in reducing late cancellations by 75%. The WCH experience adds further evidence that day-care surgery in a pediatric hospital is safe and effective for a large proportion of infants and children requiring operation.

The clinical and biochemical features of essential fatty acid deficiency are described in an infant with gastroschisis who required long-term (6 mo) parenteral nutrition. The deficiency responded to therapy with Intralipid, topical sunflower oil, and breast milk. In a prospective study of three infants with gastroschisis, biochemical essential fatty acid deficiency developed in each during the first week of lipid-free parenteral nutrition; clinical signs of the deficiency were absent. The biochemical features were progressive in the one patient followed for 19 days, and were associated with a decrease in weight gain. Both the deficiency and weight gain were corrected by Intralipid. Biochemical essential fatty acid deficiency did not develop in three other gastroschisis infants who were given prophylactic Intralipid (two patients) or topical sunflower oil (one patient). We conclude that all infants on parenteral nutrition should receive a source of linoleic acid to prevent essential fatty acid deficiency.

The effect of whole bowel irrigation (WBI) with a polyethylene glycol electrolyte lavage solution (PEG-ELS; 27 children) was compared to the WBI with two electrolytic solutions: normal saline with added potassium chloride (NS; 25 children) and Ringer's injection (RI; 29 children). The PEG-ELS required less volume and time, and did not cause the weight gain, hemodilution, and hyperchloremia associated with use of the electrolytic solutions. A balanced PEG-ELS is preferred in WBI of children.

This full term male infant required a 90% enterectomy for congenital intestinal volvulus shortly after birth. The remaining small bowel consisted of 8 cm of proximal jejunum anastomosed to 5 cm of terminal ileum. The ileocecal valve was intact. Parenteral nutrition was administered for the first 21 months, including 17 months of home parenteral nutrition. The child's oral diet was mother's milk until 28 months of age when he was switched to an elemental diet. Solids were introduced at 6 months of age. Presently, at 36 months of age, the infant is off parenteral nutrition and is maintaining good nutritional status on a diet of 150 calories per kilo per day. His major problem has been an extreme allergy to cow's-milk protein. This infant is remarkable, since, despite record short bowel length, he maintained a completely normal growth and development, had remarkably few serious complications, spent relatively little time in hospital, and has documented improvement of G.I. absorption and radiographic contrast studies.

Pediatric general surgery should be included in the undergraduate medical curriculum for reasons of improving the total surgical care of infants and children, to enable teachers to serve as role models to students considering a career in pediatric surgery and to ensure survival of pediatric surgery in the medical school curriculum. A survey of recent medical literature and surgical textbooks revealed little or no discussion concerning the aims, objectives, content, and design of the pediatric surgical curriculum. A survey of 15 Canadian medical schools showed that students are assigned very little didactic time for pediatric surgery (average total seven hours) and only 25% of graduates proceed to a clerkship in pediatric surgery, usually as an elective. The Association hereby proposes an undergraduate medical education curriculum in pediatric surgery for Canadian medical schools in order to stimulate discussion and achieve uniform input of pediatric surgery in the undergraduate medical program.

Whole bowel irrigation was used in 24 patients ages 8 to 17 yr, mean 13 yr, in preparation for colonoscopy (18), colon surgery (2), therapeutic irrigation for treatment of drug overdose (2), and constipation (2). An average of 9 liters warm, normal saline with added KCL (5 mEq/liter) was infused through a nasogastric tube over a period of 7 +/- 2 hr (mean +/- SD). This resulted in a weight gain of 2% and a mild hyperchloremia. The vital signs remained stable and there were no complications. The colonic preparation was complete in 10, adequate in 8 and unsatisfactory in 2. The irrigation was effective in the treatment of overdose ingestion and constipation. It is concluded that whole bowel irrigation is a satisfactory method of colonic preparation of pediatric patients.