Paediatric surgery

Paediatric surgery is a surgical discipline that specialises in treating surgical conditions in children from the prenatal period to adolescence. Unlike other surgical specialities, it is not defined by an anatomical system, but by the age of the patient.

It is a lesser-known FMH surgical specialty that requires surgeons to undergo specific training in the treatment of childhood conditions and diseases. Paediatric surgeons establish a diagnosis and propose treatment and follow-up care for children as they grow. Treatment may be medical or surgical.

The field of surgical care is vast. Paediatric surgeons treat children with malformations discovered at birth or later in life, children with diseases requiring surgery, and children who have suffered accidents resulting in fractures or traumatic injuries.

In Switzerland, this speciality is generally found in university hospitals.

Following the creation of the Valais Hospital network in 2005, a paediatric surgery department was established in Sion, which has been accredited as an ISFM training centre for paediatric surgery since 2010.

The paediatric surgery department in Sion is a primary care centre, as well as a secondary centre where patients are transferred from other hospitals.

The paediatric surgery department consists of four areas:

• 24-hour paediatric emergency department
• Polyclinic with specialist paediatric surgery and orthopaedic consultations
• Day hospital for outpatient operations or examinations
• Inpatient department for newborns, children and adolescents.

These services are provided in facilities specifically designed for children and their parents by professionals specialising in paediatric care. All paediatric surgery services are grouped together within the hospital's Children's Centre. The paediatric surgery department works closely with specialist paediatricians from the paediatrics department.