Parents’ Guide to Children’s Surgical Problems
Start with what you can see. Find out what it could mean, and whether your child needs to be examined.
Does your child have…
You do not need to know the medical name. Pick what you have noticed, and read what it could mean.
Signs That Need a Hospital Today
Most children’s surgical problems can wait for an appointment. These cannot. If you see any of these, go to the hospital now — do not wait for a reply to a message or for the clinic to open.
Green or yellow-green vomiting in a baby
Bile-stained vomiting can mean the bowel is obstructed or twisted. In malrotation with volvulus, bowel is lost within hours.
A groin swelling that will not go back
A hernia with bowel trapped in it becomes firm, red and tender, often with vomiting. It needs treating the same day.
Screaming episodes with legs drawn up
Especially in a baby who then goes quiet, pale and floppy in between. This is the pattern of intussusception.
A newborn boy dribbling urine
A newborn boy should pass urine as a stream. A dribble can mean posterior urethral valves and the kidneys are at risk.
No meconium in the first 24 to 48 hours
A newborn who has not passed the first black stool needs the anus examined and the bowel assessed.
A swollen, tender tummy with fever
A rigid abdomen with fever, in a child who does not want to be touched or moved, suggests peritonitis.
Frothing at the mouth in a newborn
Frothy saliva that keeps returning, and choking with the first feed, suggests the food pipe has not formed through.
A child who is limp, pale or inconsolable
A significant change in how a child behaves is a warning sign in itself, whatever else is or is not present.
Paediatric Urology Conditions
Kidney, bladder and genital conditions in children and newborns.
Paediatric Surgery Conditions
Abdominal, hernia and gastro-intestinal surgery for infants and children.
Neonatal Surgery Conditions
Surgery for newborn babies, including congenital conditions found at or before birth.
Explain It in the Language You Think In
Tamil, Malayalam and English are all spoken at the hospital. Every condition page on this site carries a short plain-language summary in all three.
When you write on WhatsApp, write in whichever language is easiest for you. Describing a child’s symptoms accurately matters more than describing them in English, and something important is usually lost when a parent translates as they go.
When you message, please include
- Patient name and age
- Town or city
- The main problem, in your own words
- All the symptoms you have noticed
- What makes it worse — feeds, crying, straining, movement
- Photographs of previous reports and scans
Tapping the WhatsApp button fills most of this in for you — just complete the blanks.
Dr. Pratheep Samraj
Consultant Paediatric & Neonatal Surgeon · Palliyadi, Kanyakumari
Super-specialist surgical care for newborns, infants and children, with expertise in paediatric urology, congenital anomalies, gastro-intestinal surgery and minimally invasive surgery.
Before You Come
You have read about it. The next step is having it looked at.
Reading only takes you so far — almost every condition here turns on findings that need examining rather than describing. Bring the child, and bring the reports.
Consultation 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM & 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM · 24-hour laboratory & pharmacy
In an emergency — green vomiting in a baby, a groin swelling that will not go back, severe tummy pain, or a newborn not passing urine or meconium — come straight to the hospital or to your nearest emergency department. Do not wait for a reply to a message.