General and Thoracic Surgery
The highest level Children's Surgery Center available
General and Thoracic Surgery
The highest level Children's Surgery Center available
The general and thoracic surgery department at Children's Mercy provides a wide range of treatments for conditions that affect the head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, arms and legs.
We have surgeons available around the clock for surgical consultation and care. Every surgery is attended by a pediatric anesthesiologist, who has expertise in finding the just-right dose of medication for the child's age, size and condition.
Leading the way in surgical care
Whenever possible, our surgeons use minimally invasive surgical techniques to help kids heal more quickly. This results in shorter hospital stays, faster recovery and reduced risk of complications and scarring after the surgery.
Our research team is hard at work to determine the most effective surgical approaches for pediatric conditions.
Highest level of surgical care
Children’s Mercy is one of only 53 centers in the nation to be verified as a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center — the highest possible rating — by the American College of Surgeons. This verification means Children's Mercy meets the highest standards for safety and outcomes determined by the American College of Surgeons. Our surgical care is designed to manage routine to highly complex illnesses. We also have experts in every pediatric specialty ready to go at all times to provide comprehensive care for kids.
Clinical Services
Children's Mercy operates the only designated Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and the only burn unit devoted exclusively to pediatric patients between St. Louis and Denver. Our team includes surgeons, nurse practitioners, and nursing staff who are specialists in burn care.
The Center for Pectus Excavatum and Pectus Carinatum at Children’s Mercy is one of the nation’s most experienced pectus centers. The center offers the pectus excavatum minimally invasive surgery “Nuss technique.”
Children’s Mercy is home to one of a very few Comprehensive Colorectal Centers in the nation. We take a team-based approach to care for children with colorectal malformations such as Hirschsprung disease and other anorectal and pelvic floor disorders.
When your child needs an organ transplant to survive, we are ready to guide you through the process. We have expert teams ready to perform kidney, liver and heart transplants in children and young adults.
Weight loss surgery may be an option for teens and young adults who have tried medically-supervised weight loss programs but still struggle with obesity. Children's Mercy is the only hospital in the region with two fellowship-trained pediatric surgeons who perform the gastric sleeve operation.
Children’s Mercy offers complex pediatric hepatobiliary (liver and bile tract) surgical interventions for vascular lesions, portal hypertension and other conditions. Our multidisciplinary, pediatric-trained team provides customized care options to find the best fit for your child.
Conditions
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Cutaneous (perineal) fistula
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Imperforate anus without fistula
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Perineal fistula
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Persistent cloaca
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Rectal atresia and stenosis
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Rectobladder neck fistula
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Rectourethral bulbar fistula
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Rectourethral prostatic fistula
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Vaginal fistula
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Vestibular fistula
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Branchial cleft and arch anomalies
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Chest wall deformities
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Empyema and lung infections
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Epidermolysis bullosa
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Esophageal and airway foreign bodies
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Esophageal strictures
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Gallbladder disease
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Gastroesophageal reflex disease
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Hydrocele
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Inflammatory bowel diseases
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Crohn's disease
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Ulcerative colitis
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Intussusception
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Meckel's diverticulum
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Necrotizing enterocolitis
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Obesity (morbid clinically severe obesity)
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Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
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Pyloric stenosis
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Short-bowel syndrome
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Skin lesions requiring surgery
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Umbilical hernia
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Bronchogenic cysts
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Choledochal cysts
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Congenital lobar emphysema
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Congenital diaphragmatic hernias and other related diaphragmatic anomalies
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Gastroschisis
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Intestinal atresia and stenosis
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Intestinal malrotation and volvulus
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Omphalocele
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Pentalogy of Cantrell
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Thyroglossal duct cysts and sinuses
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Tracheoesophageal fistula and esophageal atresia
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Undescended testis
Trauma
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Commonly treated trauma conditions, such as head injuries and solid organ injuries
Vascular Lesions
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Vascular malformations, including:
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Capillary malformations (port wine stain)
- Congenital vascular malformations
- Congenital portosystemic shunts (Abernethy Malformation)
- Congenital and acquired arterio-venous malformations
- Congenital and infantile hepatic hemangiomas
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Lymphatic malformations
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Combined vascular malformations
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Syndromes associated with vascular lesions
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Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon
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Sturge-Weber syndrome
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Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome
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Maffucci's syndrome
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Proteus syndrome
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Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome)
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Ataxia-telangiectasia (Louis-Bar's syndrome)
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Lymphangiectasia
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Lymphedema
Tumors
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Hepatic tumors
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Hepatoblastoma
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Hepatocellular carcinoma
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Neuroblastoma
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Ovarian tumors and cysts
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Rhabdomyosarcoma
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Soft tissue sarcomas
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Teratomas
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Wilms tumors
Planning for surgery
From free valet parking at the front door to personalized follow-up care during your child’s recovery, we want every aspect of your experience at Children’s Mercy to be beyond your expectations.
Read about how to prepare your child for scheduled surgery, what to expect when you arrive, and resources available while you’re here.
Pediatric anesthesia at Children's Mercy
At Children’s Mercy, a pediatric anesthesiologist is an active member of your child’s care team before, during and after their surgery or procedure.
We administer anesthesia for more than 27,000 kids per year—that’s 74 per day—so our team is experienced at finding just-right doses of medication for kids of all sizes.
Stories
Inside Pediatrics: Jacob's story
Revolutionary cryoablation procedures pioneered at Children’s Mercy allow Jacob to recover with almost no discomfort from a chest repair that used to cause months of pain.
Center for Prospective Trials
Children's Mercy is home to the Center for Prospective Trials. The Center works to follow similar patients over time, observing how different variables may impact their long term outcome. Outcomes from trials like these lead to better care for kids. See how these trials are determining new ways to treat conditions.