General Surgery

Mail:

1600 Rockland Road
Wilmington, DE 19803
» Get Map and Directions

Phone:

(302) 651-4000

Doctors:

Located on the second floor of the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (one of the top-ranked children’s hospitals in the country), the Nemours Surgical Care Center offers a highly skilled pediatric surgical team.

Our Department of Surgery is staffed by a team of physicians who are specially trained in surgery and pediatric surgical subspecialties. Our areas of expertise range from gastrointestinal diseases (like gastroesophageal reflux and gallbladder disease) to tumors (like lymphoma and abdominal tumors), from newborn surgery to minimally invasive surgery techniques (that can be used in certain operations, when appropriate).

In general, we offer:

• Diagnosis and treatment of pediatric surgical conditions
• Prenatal consultations (for fetal abnormalities that may have been detected during pregnancy and may require neonatal surgery – operations on newborns)
• Pediatric trauma evaluations in the Emergency Department (ER), including child abuse consultations 
• 24-hour surgical services through our ER and Level II Trauma Center, as well as ERs within affiliated institutions where Nemours surgeons provide surgical services

Our Team Approach

To give your child the very best treatment, our surgeons work together as a team with all of the other Nemours specialists that may be involved in your child’s care. Depending on your child’s condition, your child may need the care and attention of multiple doctors across different specialties. And you’ll often be able to see many of them all in one location, all on the same day – without having to waste time or gas traveling from place to place.

We also offer the services and support of a “surgical nurse liaison,” who will be on hand during the surgery to keep you updated about your child’s progress and help make the process as easy as possible on your family.

To further ease your concerns, some of the most important members of your care team will include our sympathetic support staff (from psychologists to child life specialists, from social workers to clergy). Their goal is to make sure you and your child understand what’s going on every step of the way – and that you’re coping with all of the emotions and stresses you may be feeling.

Your Home Away From Home

If your child is getting surgery and will need to stay overnight, we offer cheerful décor with  multicolor floors and playful animal wallpaper. Each unit houses a play area/lounge with games, TV, toys, books, tables, couches, highchairs, and computers. Kids’ rooms are equipped with a bathroom, a bulletin board to display cards or artwork, and a special touch-screen TV that offers entertainment and educational options through a program called the Get Well Network. One parent is welcome to stay with their child overnight. So you won’t have to worry about what your child is going through – you can be right there.

And our new Family Resource Center and Ronald McDonald Family Room, decorated in soothing earth tones with twinkling lights to mimic a starlit sky, allows our families to enjoy some of the comforts of home, just a few short steps away from their child’s bedside. The many amenities include:

• laundry facility
• showers
• kitchenette
• library with books, magazines, and DVDs
• business center with a copier, fax machine, computers, and printers
• three sleep rooms, equipped with a full-size bed and comfortable furniture, giving parents with the most critically ill children a peaceful respite from hospital life

The Family Resource Center and Ronald McDonald Family Room was a joint project between the hospital and the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware, located right across from the hospital’s campus.

Families of chronically or seriously ill children who live more than 25 miles away from the hospital can find another comfortable place to rest and recuperate at the Ronald McDonald House, if necessary. The House includes private guest rooms (each with a bathroom, phone, and TV), computers with high-speed internet, media room, fitness center, playrooms, teen room, kitchen, library, and outdoor playgrounds. At night, volunteers prepare a hot meal for all of the families. And those staying over the weekend get breakfast. Families are asked to donate $15 for each night, however (like Nemours) the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware doesn’t turn away any family that can’t pay.

Pre-Operative Visit

Whatever type of procedure your child needs, we request that your child come in for a pre-surgical evaluation, including a medical history and physical examination, within seven days before the surgery date. If necessary, some tests may be ordered.

Find Out More

Learn more about what to expect before, during, and after your child’s operation.

Learn more about all of the services offered at AIDHC.