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Surgical Problems of Children with Physical Disabilities

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Pediatric Surgery

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Abstract

Children with physical disabilities and children with special health care needs (CSHCN) benefit from a cooperative relationship between parents, medical providers, and pediatric surgeons in managing their surgical needs. This benefit is manifested by simplification of the care provided to children by parents, in order to improve quality of life, development of trust and relationships between parents and caregivers to guide thoughtful decisions about surgical interventions, forging an understanding of the complexities of surgical care by all concerned, and the selection of appropriate surgical candidates and expeditious evaluation of perioperative problems. This chapter focuses on the general principles of family-centered care and common perioperative considerations for CSHCN patients and serves to educate the pediatric surgeon about the importance of comprehensive care and special considerations for children with common conditions that encompass the patient with a physical disability. Pediatric surgical CSHCN patients typically have either a genetic malformation syndrome (i.e., Trisomy 21), cerebral palsy or neurologic impairment, complex congenital heart disease, or a spectrum of comorbid conditions as the result of a congenital malformation. Albeit by no means exhaustive, this chapter will serve to highlight some of the common challenges that must be addressed by the pediatric surgeon caring for this complex group of patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Casey M. Calkins

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  1. Casey M. Calkins
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Correspondence to Casey M. Calkins .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Beacon Hospital, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Prem Puri

  2. University Clinic of Paediatric and Adolescent Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Michael E. Höllwarth

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Calkins, C.M. (2023). Surgical Problems of Children with Physical Disabilities. In: Puri, P., Höllwarth, M.E. (eds) Pediatric Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81488-5_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81488-5_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-81487-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-81488-5

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