20,000 Pediatric Surgery Cases for Conditions Such as Hepatoblastoma and Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, and 10,000 Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Cases Including Complex Heart Diseases

Celebrating 15th Anniversary with Analysis of Severe Treatment Records… Treated 450,000 Pediatric Emergency Patients, the Most in Korea

"Operating the Pediatric Home Health Care Team and the Pediatric Palliative Care Team… Fulfilling Our Social Responsibility for the Health of the Nation's Future, Our Children"

▲ Professor Jung-Man Namgoong (center) performing a liver resection on a pediatric patient suffering from hepatoblastoma

To enhance the safety and systematic treatment of pediatric patients and to safeguard their dreams and hopes, Asan Medical Center (AMC) Children's Hospital, which opened its doors in 2009, celebrates its 15th anniversary. AMC Children’s Hospital has dedicated its facilities exclusively to pediatric patients, operating specialized consultation rooms, inpatient wards, and examination rooms to treat children with severe illnesses more professionally. AMC Children's Hospital has maintained Korea's largest pediatric emergency center and intensive care unit despite financial challenges.

An analysis of 15 years of treatment records by AMC Children's Hospital revealed that, as of May this year, approximately 60,000 pediatric patients with severe diseases, such as pediatric cancer and congenital heart disease, have undergone surgery.

A breakdown of surgeries by medical department shows that pediatric surgeries, including those for pediatric cancer like hepatoblastoma, pediatric liver transplantation, and congenital diaphragmatic hernia, accounted for about 19,000 cases, the highest number.

Pediatric cardiac surgeries, such as heart transplants and surgeries for complex congenital heart defects, along with pediatric orthopedic surgeries for conditions like congenital limb deformities and severe traumatic fractures, each accounted for about 10,000 cases.

Pediatric urology surgeries, including treatments for hydronephrosis and vesicoureteral reflux, numbered about 7,000 cases. Pediatric ophthalmology surgeries, including those for pediatric cataracts and glaucoma, amounted to 5,700 cases. Pediatric neurosurgeries for conditions like brain tumors, craniofacial abnormalities, and moyamoya disease totaled approximately 3,600 cases.

Beyond surgical treatment, AMC Children's Hospital has also been committed to treating pediatric emergency patients and providing intensive care for pediatric and neonatal patients.

▲ Professor Won Kyoung Jhang (left) examining the condition of a pediatric lung transplantation patient in the pediatric intensive care unit

Last year alone, the hospital treated about 38,000 pediatric emergency patients, with a cumulative total of around 450,000 patients, the highest number in Korea.

To systematically treat pediatric emergency patients, AMC Children’s Hospital established Korea's first pediatric emergency center, separate from the adult emergency center, in 2010. It operates on a 24/7 basis with dedicated specialists, and since its opening, there has never been an interruption in the treatment of pediatric emergency patients.

Additionally, to provide intensive care and management for children with severe diseases, AMC Children’s Hospital operates a 29-bed pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and a 62-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

At its inception, AMC Children’s Hospital set up the largest pediatric intensive care system in Korea and has continuously expanded its scale, maintaining its status as the largest to date. So far, about 13,000 patients have received treatment in the pediatric and neonatal intensive care units.

In 2021, a small-for-dates micro-preemie born at 24 weeks and 6 days, weighing just 288 grams, the smallest birth weight recorded in Korea, received round-the-clock intensive care in the neonatal intensive care unit for 153 days. This remarkable case highlights the advancements in pediatric and neonatal critical care of AMC Children’s Hospital.

Professor Tae-Sung Ko, the President of AMC Children's Hospital, stated, “AMC Children’s Hospital not only excels in surgeries, emergency, and critical care, but also in treating pediatric cancer and refractory blood diseases through hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, performing one in every five cases nationwide. Additionally, our Fetal Treatment Center diagnoses and treats congenital diseases from the prenatal stage, making us the leading institution in treating severe pediatric illnesses in multiple fields.”

He further remarked, “To provide continuous treatment, emotional support, care, and counseling for children with severe diseases, we also operate Pediatric Home Health Care Team and Pediatric Palliative Care Team. Although running a children's hospital inevitably comes with financial challenges, we are committed to fulfilling our social responsibility for the health of the future generations of our country.”