Surgery

HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children's at Presbyterian St. Luke's has been verified as a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program (ACS CSV). RMHC is the first children’s hospital in the global HCA Healthcare network to achieve this status.

In addition to our advanced, minimally invasive surgery program, our pediatric surgery team performs numerous specialty surgeries, including:

• Chest wall correction surgery
• Cleft lip/cleft palate
• Congenital thumbs differences (thumb polydactyly and trigger thumb)
• Craniofacial congenital abnormalities
• Ear deformities and ear tubes
• Ear, nose and throat (otolaryngology - head and neck surgery)
• Extra fingers (Polydactyly)
• Foot and ankle surgery
• General surgery
• Hand fractures
• Hand surgery
• Hand tendon, nerve and vascular injuries
• Heart surgery
• Juvenile arthritis
• Keloids and scar repair
• Limited hand movement or stiff joints (arthrogryposis)
• Missing fingers (symbrachydactyly)
• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedic surgery
• Plastic surgery
• Spasticity surgery
• Spine surgery
• Upper extremity tumors
• Upper extremity neuromuscular problems (cerebral palsy)
• Urologic surgery
• Webbed fingers (syndactyly)

Many congenital abnormalities that need surgical correction can be diagnosed before birth with the use of advanced imaging techniques at our Center for Maternal/Fetal Health. When needed, our specialists use minimally invasive techniques on the first or second day after birth to correct congenital abnormalities.

Our pediatric surgeons work closely with perinatologists and neonatologists to provide the best possible clinical outcomes while limiting stress on you and your baby. We also aim to minimize separation between you and your newborn and help you understand what is going on with your baby every step of the way.

Our expert surgeons are able to provide surgical treatment for the following conditions in newborn babies:

• Congenital lung lesions, such as cystic adenomatoid malformation
• Diaphragmatic hernia
• Duodenal atresia
• Esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula
• Hirschsprung's disease
• Imperforate anus
• Intestinal atresia
• Malrotation
• Ovarian masses
• Sacrococcygeal teratoma

Additionally, we offer fetoscopic surgical options for high-risk pregnancies, including:

• Fetal surgery for myelomeningocele for severe spina bifida
• Fetoscopic laser photocoagulation for treatment of severe twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS)
• Fetoscopic bipolar cord coagulation (BCC)
• Fetoscopic radiofrequency ablation (RFA)

We are proud to offer your child access to superior minimally invasive surgical procedures. Our own pediatric surgeons are pioneers of minimally invasive surgical techniques that are now being performed around the world.

Minimally invasive surgery can reduce your child's hospital stay, decrease postsurgical discomfort and virtually eliminate the challenges of large scars as a child grows. Our pediatric surgery looks to minimally invasive surgery as the first surgical treatment option for your child. We also strive to educate you and your child about how minimally invasive surgery works.

Robotic surgery has gained in popularity and use in operating rooms worldwide, quickly becoming common practice. However, the technology and systems used for such surgeries have largely been designed for adults, using instruments and layouts that are not optimal for children.

At HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children's at Presbyterian St. Luke's, our pediatric experts sought to find a better robotic solution for children, which led us to become the first dedicated pediatric hospital in the United States to use a new pediatric robotic system. This highly advanced technology, on which our experts have collaborated, is setting a new standard in minimally invasive surgery for pediatric patients.

Our pediatric robot uses enhanced intelligence to support our highly specialized pediatric surgeons during surgery. The system doesn't replace the surgeon. Instead, the surgeon operates the robotic technology via an open cockpit, using an intraoperative camera controlled with the surgeon's eyes. The ergonomic set up allows the surgeon to have full visual access to the patient and surgical team (a design different than most adult surgical robots) while enhancing visualization into the surgical site via the camera. In addition, this robot allows our team to use instruments and incisions less than one half the size of the current commercially used robotic system, making it much more suitable for our young patients.

Patients who have robot-assisted surgery often have less blood loss, fewer complications, less pain, shorter hospital stays, faster recoveries and diminished scarring. Ask your doctor if pediatric robotic surgery is right for your child's needs.

With board-certified pediatric specialists and the most advanced treatment facilities in the region, our children's hospital is a destination facility for advanced pediatric and neonatal surgical care.

We are dedicated to improving the patient experience in our pediatric operating rooms (ORs) and ensuring the highest level of safety through the CollaboratOR. The CollaboratOR is a new, advanced operating room system that makes the transition to the operating room more comfortable and efficient for children and pediatric surgeons.

The CollaboratOR is a 10-foot touchscreen operating room monitor that the operating surgeons can use to host all the relevant information for the surgery. Surgeons can view the patient's medical records, any x-rays or magnetic resonance images (MRIs), labs or blood tests, surgical videos and the video input for minimally invasive endoscopic procedures. This interactive operating system gives our pediatric surgeons access to all the tools they need to successfully perform your child's surgery. It also promotes increased patient safety by monitoring checklists before, during and after surgery.

In addition to the CollaboratOR, the most advanced, high-definition cameras ever developed for pediatric minimally invasive surgery have been installed in our OR. This will soon include a miniaturized scope smaller than one-fourth of an inch with a 3D endoscopic camera for detailed visual clarity. These features offer larger magnification to increase precision and minimize recovery time.

Pediatric surgeons use the CollaboratOR to communicate quickly and efficiently with referring physicians and pediatricians. Surgical information is recorded and transmitted in real time, so your child's primary pediatrician is informed about the results of the surgery.

Child and parent comfort services

Your child may be anxious about entering the operating room for surgery. CollaboratOR serves to comfort and distract your child or adolescent through the patient comfort system with a number of entertainment options. Your child can select a movie or cartoon to watch on a tablet in the waiting room. When they are transferred to the operating room, the movie appears on the CollaboratOR screen and comforts them during preparation procedures and anesthesia.

The operating system also gives pediatric surgeons the opportunity to provide comfort and reassurance to you and your family members. You and your immediate family are given more access to the operating room during surgery and can watch parts of the procedure they're comfortable with. We seek to prioritize your confidence and keep you informed during a stressful time.

We are home to a highly trained, expert team of pediatric surgeons who work exclusively with infants, children and adolescents. Our surgeons specialize in the surgical management of kids' diseases and conditions, and they understand the unique needs of children.

In addition to our excellent surgeons, our pediatric surgery team includes:

• Radiologists
• Nurse practitioners (NPs)
• Nurses
• Certified medical assistants

Many other specialists — including dietitians, child life specialists and occupational and physical therapists — are here to support your child during recovery.

Pediatric anesthesiologists

It is equally important to have a pediatric anesthesiology team who understands the special requirements of newborns, infants, children and teens. This specialized expertise is essential when providing sedation for a procedure and pain management as your child recovers. Our hospital only has pediatric anesthesiologists, and they develop a personalized approach, depending on your child's needs, and have extensive training in:

• General anesthesiology
• General pediatrics
• Pediatric advanced life support
• Pediatric anesthesiology
• Pediatric critical care

HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children's at Presbyterian St. Luke's partners with Midtown Surgical Center. This helps ensure you receive the very best in quality, cost-effective pediatric outpatient surgical care. It is located just a few blocks from our campus.

Many pediatric surgical specialists who are affiliated with our hospital offer procedures at the Midtown Surgical Center location. All surgeries for children are performed with specially trained nurses and pediatric anesthesiologists.

The partnership between our hospitals focuses on the quality of care, competency of the surgical support team and making sure all equipment and processes are specifically designed for our pediatric patients.