Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

PEDIATRIC SURGERY

Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

When Abdalla Zarroug, M.D., joined Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in 2021 as division chief of Pediatric Surgery, he immediately noticed it was different from other hospitals where he had served. The people, the equipment, the approach—everything was focused on children and their families, confirming he was in the right place.

Dr. Zarroug has more than 20 years of experience in providing high-quality pediatric surgical care. For 14 years, he was a pediatric surgeon and associate professor of Surgery and Pediatrics in the Pediatric Surgery division at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he remains an adjunct faculty member.

Dr. Zarroug works alongside Angela Hanna, M.D., and Patrick Thomas, M.D., on the Pediatric Surgery team. Dr. Hanna is triple-certified in general surgery, surgical critical care and pediatric surgery by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Thomas is a board-certified general and pediatric surgeon and early adopter of new and innovative technologies delivering optimal care for children and their families. Dr. Thomas completed a Master of Management degree in Clinical Informatics from Duke University School of Medicine and served as the chair of a national steering board charged with creating gold-standard surgical protocols and workflows to optimize the care of children on a global scale. Dr. Thomas is the director of Digital Innovation in Pediatric Surgery.

This surgical dream team works in one of the most exceptional facilities in the United States—Children’s Hubbard Center for Children, which opened in fall 2021. This cuttingedge addition joins expansions to Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac Care Unit.

“Our operating rooms are equipped with everything we need to do any type of surgery,” Dr. Zarroug said. “In addition to minimally invasive technology, the rooms also feature a new intraoperative MRI machine that allows us to do very complex neurological procedures.”

Children’s surgeons are focused on each child’s journey, tailoring individual interventions to fit their specific needs. Most operations can be performed using minimally invasive techniques that offer children faster recovery and healing times, less pain, lower rates of infection and fewer complications. Children’s surgeons are aided by the DaVinci Xi surgical robot, the first of its kind in Omaha to be used in a pediatric setting. The DaVinci Xi can be used for myriad surgeries, including those in the chest, abdomen and pelvic areas. The team is exploring new ways to use this amazing technology to offer optimal surgical outcomes to children throughout the region.

“At Children’s, we do our absolute best to be able to meet the specific and unique needs of our pediatric patients and their families,” Dr. Zarroug said. “By using minimally invasive techniques, we can make a significant difference in their lives by improving their surgery experience.”

CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL & MEDICAL CENTER

8200 Dodge Street Omaha, NE 68114 402.955.7400 childrensomaha.org