Pediatric Surgery

This collection of pediatric surgery articles highlights advances in clinical decision-making, quality improvement, and population health in children. Featured studies examine cost-effective management strategies such as nonoperative treatment of appendicitis, alongside innovations in enhanced recovery protocols, machine learning–based risk prediction, and national quality benchmarking efforts.

Complementing these are investigations into trauma care, global surgery, and health disparity, including pediatric firearm injury, vascular trauma, and the impact of social determinants on outcomes. Together, these contributions emphasize a growing focus on value-based care, data-driven practice, and the broader public health role of pediatric surgeons.

Scroll to the CME Articles section for opportunities to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ related to this collection. 

March 2026

• Development, validation, and comparison of machine learning models for predicting pediatric surgical site infections using the NSQIP-P database.

August 2025

• Similar associated risk of complications and death for adolescent gunshot wounds treated at pediatric only hospitals when compared with combined pediatric/adult centers. 

January 2025

• Comparison of climate impact, clinical outcome, and cost-efficiency of pediatric transumbilical laparoscopic assisted appendectomy vs standard 3-port laparoscopic appendectomy. 

Episode 37: Expanding the Public Health Role of Pediatric Trauma Centers: Drug Screening for Adolescent Trauma Patients

In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Jordan Rook, MD, from UCLA, and Lorraine Kelley-Quon, MD, FACS, from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Keck School of Medicine of USC. They discuss Drs Rook and Kelley-Quon’s recent article, “Expanding the Public Health Role of Pediatric Trauma Centers: Drug Screening for Adolescent Trauma Patients,” in which the authors found that biochemical drug screening for injured adolescents is decreasing at pediatric trauma centers, despite increasing national adolescent overdose deaths. Given high rates of substance use among injured adolescents, this is a missed opportunity to intervene on problematic substance use and prevent future adolescent overdose deaths.

Episode 30: Cost-Effectiveness of Nonoperative Management vs Upfront Laparoscopic Appendectomy for Pediatric Uncomplicated Appendicitis Over 1 Year

In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Peter C Minneci, MD, FACS, MHSc, from the Department of Surgery, Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley. They discuss Dr Minneci’s recent article, “Cost-Effectiveness of Nonoperative Management vs Upfront Laparoscopic Appendectomy for Pediatric Uncomplicated Appendicitis Over 1 Year,” in which the authors found that cost-effectiveness of management of pediatric appendicitis is sensitive to changes in utilities achieved by nonoperative management. Further studies should investigate reasons for treatment failure and the importance of shared decision-making in choosing treatment.

Episode 21: Social Determinants of Outcomes Disparity among Pediatric Patients with Solid Tumor

In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS is joined by Dai Chung, MD, FACS, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. They discuss Dr Chung’s recent study, which demonstrates that poor health outcomes among pediatric solid tumor patients are associated with minority race and residence in rural or border regions, and that the 5-year rate mortality rises with increasing area deprivation score.