Thoracic surgery in children and adolescents: Experience from the thoracic surgery unit of a single referral center.

Background: The study aimed to highlight and evaluate thoracic surgical procedures performed in children and adolescents and demonstrate the extent to which thoracic surgeons can benefit this population. Methods: This retrospective study included 200 pediatric patients (100 males, 100 females; mean age: 14.7±6.7 years; range, 1 month to 21 years) who underwent thoracic surgery between January 2018 and January 2023. Patients' indications for surgery, surgical approach, complications, length of hospital stay, need for intensive care admission, and mortality were evaluated. Results: The most commonly performed surgery was sympathectomy (30.5%), followed by decortication (16%) and traumatic exploration (14%). Approximately 50% of surgeries were minimally invasive. The average length of hospital stay was 2.8 days, and the rate of intensive care admission was 20%. The intraoperative and postoperative complication rate was 10%. Conclusion: The concept of treating pediatric patients as small-size adults is irrational. Pediatric patients need special care and tailored guidelines due to their peculiar physical, psychological, and anatomical characteristics. We believe that having a dedicated team of thoracic surgeons trained and subspecialized for pediatric thoracic pathologies will improve outcomes. Furthermore, more research must be directed to this age group to establish evidence-based consensus and guidelines.