Division of Pediatric Surgery
The Division of Pediatric Surgery at the University of Vermont provides surgical care to children from birth to adolescence as part of our mission to support the activities of the Vermont Children’s Hospital. Our division is staffed by two board certified pediatric surgeons, Dr. Kennith Sartorelli and Dr. James Murphy. The spectrum of conditions we treat range from surgical disorders in the smallest of premature infants to correction of chest wall deformities in teens and also includes treatment of congenital anomalies of the head and neck, chest, and abdomen; care of acute surgical problems throughout childhood; surgical management of pediatric tumors; and coordination of trauma care for children. Our division performs around 600 operative procedures each year and additionally oversees the care provided to approximately 110 pediatric trauma admissions each year.
Education
Our educational efforts are focused on perpetuating the legacy of excellence in pediatric and surgical health services which UVM and The University of Vermont Medical Center have long been recognized for. To that end, our division is regularly involved in providing lectures and coordinating conference sessions for medical students, pediatric residents and general surgery residents. Our division also proudly sponsors the endowed Arnold H. Colodny, MD Lectureship in Pediatric Surgery on an annual basis. This event provides a forum for international experts in Pediatric Surgery to participate in a two-day series of lectures and conferences in Burlington which students, residents and faculty can all benefit from and participate in. An additional component of our educational mission is directed to the families and patients we serve. Providing these individuals with increased awareness on the conditions we treat, the nature of the surgical process, and expectations for what recovery will entail all serve to enhance the model of family-centered care we strive to provide.
Research
The Pediatric Surgical Service also seeks to not only provide the highest level of care to our patients, but also participates nationally in defining and demonstrating how our efforts represent a model for others to emulate. Our research activities include participation with our Anesthesia colleagues in elucidating the safety benefits of regional anesthesia in surgery for newborns, an area for which UVM has long been on the forefront in advocating for. Additionally, our division participates in research investigations in the topics of head injury in children, intra-abdominal injury in children and a variety of clinical pediatric surgical entities as well. In collaboration with the UVM anesthesia services, nearly 2,500 surgical procedures have been performed under spinal anesthesia, the largest reported experience with this technique. We continue to work closely with our anesthesia colleagues to expand the applicability of this mode of anesthesia for our pediatric patients.