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FINGER BABY AND SURGERY
The history of surgery, if it is difficult, can be traced back to ancient times. Most likely, the first surgical procedure should belong to orthopedics. Because, when the feeling of curiosity began to awaken in human beings, it also made them open to traumas. We have very old information about the repair of bones broken as a result of accidents. Written documents related to some surgical procedures, which can be considered the ancestor of the methods we use today, were recorded in ancient times and took their place on the pages of history books. Developments related to surgical procedures in the sense that we practice today are 15-16, which are mysterious times when new pages were opened in the field of science and art in our world. It coincides with centuries.
Information about the application of surgical procedures to children also begins from these times. The fact that problems similar to adults are also observed in children has ensured that the same methods can be applied in children. Therefore, it is almost 20. until the beginning of the century, surgical procedures performed on children were always copies of adults. Children born with congenital problems, on the other hand, either died unnoticed or were left to their fate, that is, to die because they could not be saved. Who knows, maybe abnormal babies were described as a God-given wrath, and the woman who gave birth to them, her family, and the society she lived in were cursed at that time!
One of the congenital abnormalities that was first treated was a baby who did not have a section of the esophagus. These babies died as a result of saliva or breast milk escaping into the trachea and blocking it, as there was no continuity of the esophagus. Within the 18. century, a surgeon who thought of inserting a tube into the stomach of such a baby made that baby live. Successful surgical repairs of these babies in the modern sense could only take place after the 1940s.
Until the middle of the 20. century, problems requiring surgery, not even babies, even older children, could be treated in only a few centers. If he is a sick child, his loss was already expected. The thesis that scientific and technological developments accelerated during great wars and that great inventions followed these times also applies to medicine. The Second World War led to the development of many new techniques and methods in the field of medicine, either by trying them out or by creating them due to impossibility.
After this period, a changed perspective allowed children to be operated on like adults now. Until then, the understanding that was seen as the ”small state of the elders“ and assumed that the treatment applied to the elders could be applied to children was replaced by the understanding that ”the child is not the shrunk state of an elder, but rather is not only anatomically, physiologically and biochemically different from an adult“. Starting from this moment, different physicians, caregivers, surgical methods, devices and hospital services began to be created for children from adults. between the years 1940-60, there were times when an innovation was put into practice almost every day in this regard.
An interesting and perhaps funny aspect of the historical past is that the first surgeons were actually barbers. So much so that there has been a specialized training on barbering surgery for many years. The first surgical association in England was called “barbers and surgeons”. Orthopedics, which deals with fractures, which we estimate to be the first surgical procedure performed in history, is also the ancestor of Pediatric Surgery. From the point of view of the word meaning, “orthopedics”, which is a combination of the words “orthos” meaning “correction” and “paedia” meaning “child”, received this name, perhaps because it was applied to children for the first time. For this reason, in France, children’s surgical procedures have been performed in orthopedic clinics for many years.
Pediatric Surgery in today’s sense, on the other hand, began to be applied only after the 1970s. The personality acquisition wars of surgeons whose work is only for children, which began in the late 50s, began to bear fruit in these years, and Pediatric Surgery clinics were established in many parts of the world. After this date, it became clear that many of the problems in children are not actually a copy of what is seen in adults. Moreover, there were no problems in children that are only seen in adults, such as appendicitis, for example. There were also a large number of problems that were seen only in childhood, that were never seen in adults.
The most important among them were the congenital ones. But these congenital abnormalities, which can be understood by the findings that occur after the baby is born and can be identified by X-ray techniques that can be considered primitive today, could now be operated on. However, perhaps operating was the easiest part of the job. The difficult thing was to keep the baby alive after the operation. At that time, trusting waiting with the thought of ”God first, then you, my doctor” was also another expression of being satisfied with fate.
In the 80s, there began to be very important developments related to newborn babies. First, special intensive care units were created for these babies. Later, doctors and staff who received training on the diseases of these babies were trained. Then, just as it was developed for children before, very special devices started to be produced for newborn babies this time. Special artificial respiratory devices have been developed for respiratory failure, which is the most serious problem of premature babies, millimeter diameter cannulas to enter their tiny veins, baby-type surgical devices that can keep their organs in their tiny bellies without hurting them.
When the number of “finger babies” born with the application of the method of creating pregnancy by unnatural means began to increase, surgical problems naturally increased. The routine application of ultrasonography in the womb has enabled congenital anomalies to be identified before the baby is born. The fact that anesthesia is being successfully applied in infants has given the opportunity for 500-600 gram babies to be operated safely. As a result, the ”finger babies” lived and decamped among us.
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One of the happiest moments of a Pediatric Surgeon is the moment when a child he has operated on for any reason comes across as grown up and healthy years later. Especially if that child is a “finger baby” who reached out his hand through the incubator at the time and caught the doctor’s finger with the determination to hold on to life, this happiness has been folded. Perhaps this is the most important feature that distinguishes pediatric surgeons from other surgeons.
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With infinite respect and love to everyone who works for the health of premature babies.
Wishing you a healthy day.
Prof. Dr.
Pediatric Surgery Specialist Antalya MedicalPark Hospital
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Turkey's world-renowned organ transplant specialist. Dr. Demirbaş has 104 international publications and 102 national publications.
Physician's Resume:
Born on August 7, 1963 in Çorum, Prof. Dr. Alper Demirbaş has been continuing his work as the President of MedicalPark Antalya Hospital Organ Transplantation Center since 2008.
Prof. who performed the first tissue incompatible kidney transplant in Turkey, the first blood type incompatible kidney transplant, the first kidney-pancreas transplant program and the first cadaveric donor and live donor liver transplant in Antalya. Dr. As of August 2016, Alper Demirbaş has performed 4900 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants and 95 pancreas transplants.
In addition to being the chairman of 6 national congresses, he has also been an invited speaker at 12 international and 65 national scientific congresses. Dr. Alper Demirbaş was married and the father of 1 girl and 1 boy.
Awards:
Eczacibasi Medical Award of 2002, Akdeniz University Service Award of 2005, Izder Medical Man of the Year Award of 2006, BÖHAK Medical Man of the Year Award of 2007, Sabah Mediterranean Newspaper Scientist of the Year Award of 2007, ANTIKAD Scientist of the Year Award of 2009, Social Ethics Association Award of 2010, Işık University Medical Man of the Year Award of 2015, VTV Antalya's Brand Value Award of 2015.
Certificates:
Doctor of Medicine Degree Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Ankara, General Surgeon Ministry of Health Turkey EKFMG (0-477-343-8), University of Miami School of Medicine Member of Multiple Organ Transplant, ASTS Multiorgan Transplant Scholarship. Lecturer at Kyoto University. Lecturer at University of Essen, Research assistant at the University of Cambridge .
Professional Members:
American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Transplantation Society Nominated, Middle East and Southern Africa Council Transplantation Society 2007, International Liver Transplantation Association, Turkish Transplantation Association, Turkish Society of Surgery, Turkish Hepatobiliary Surgery Association.
Disclaimer:
Our website contents consist of articles approved by our Web and Medical Editorial Board with the contributions of our physicians. Our contents are prepared only for informational purposes for public benefit. Be sure to consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.