Thomas Pranikoff

Thomas Pranikoff, M.D. Assistant Professor

When children are injured in a lawn mower accident, they can lose fingers, toes, hands and feet, according to Thomas Pranikoff, M.D., a pediatric surgeon at Brenner Children’s Hospital.

Thomas Pranikoff, M.D.: Providing the latest in surgical modalities for childrenFor years now, adults have had the option of laparoscopic surgery, a type of minimally-invasive surgery, which can cut recovery periods in half, reduce pain and a lengthy hospital stay, and leave minimal scarring.Children have that option at Brenner Children's Hospital."Laparoscopic surgery is much easier on a child than other standard surgical procedures," said Thomas Pranikoff, M.D., a pediatric surgeon."Children who undergo this procedure get up and around quicker, can return to a normal diet with fewer problems and have shorter stays in the hospital."While the surgery may be similar in children and adults, the equipment and techniques have to be modified for children."In children you obviously have less space to work with," he said. Cost may also be reduced because patients who undergo laparoscopic procedures may spend fewer days in the hospital, Pranikoff said."One of the benefits of performing this procedure in a children's hospital is that we have all the components that are necessary to make the outcome both safe and successful," he added."We have anesthesiologists, nurses, and pharmacists all trained specifically to care for children.It makes for a much better outcome."With Pranikoff and his two partners Charles Turner, M.D. and Robert W. Letton, Jr., M.D., Brenner Children's Hospital is the only hospital in the western half of the state to support three pediatric surgeons.

Thomas Pranikoff, M.D.: Providing the latest in surgical modalities for children For years now, adults have had the option of laparoscopic surgery, a type of minimally-invasive surgery, which can cut recovery periods in half, reduce pain and a lengthy hospital stay, and leave minimal scarring. Children have that option at Brenner Children’s Hospital. “Laparoscopic surgery is much easier on a child than other standard surgical procedures,†said Thomas Pranikoff, M.D., a pediatric surgeon. “Children who undergo this procedure get up and around quicker, can return to a normal diet with fewer problems and have shorter stays in the hospital.†While the surgery may be similar in children and adults, the equipment and techniques have to be modified for children. “In children you obviously have less space to work with,†he said. Cost may also be reduced because patients who undergo laparoscopic procedures may spend fewer days in the hospital, Pranikoff said. “One of the benefits of performing this procedure in a children’s hospital is that we have all the components that are necessary to make the outcome both safe and successful,†he added. “We have anesthesiologists, nurses, and pharmacists all trained specifically to care for children. It makes for a much better outcome.†With Pranikoff and his two partners Charles Turner, M.D. and Robert W. Letton, Jr., M.D., Brenner Children’s Hospital is the only hospital in the western half of the state to support three pediatric surgeons.

Thomas Pranikoff, M.D. Associate Professor and Section Head

When children are injured in a lawnmower accident, they can lose fingers, toes, hands and feet, according to Thomas Pranikoff, M.D., a pediatric surgeon at Brenner Children's Hospital.

The cut on Autumn's neck severed her jugular vein, resulting in massive blood loss that caused brain cells to die, said Dr. Thomas Pranikoff, a pediatric surgeon who treated her at Baptist.It is hoped that other areas of her brain will take over for parts permanently lost, he said.

Initially, Autumn could move, but she couldn't speak.She found other ways of communicating.Among the gestures her family came to recognize was a tug on the arm, which meant that Autumn wanted to get up.If she pointed to her mouth, she was thirsty.

“Laparoscopic surgery is most commonly used to remove organs such as the gallbladder, spleen and appendix, in anti-reflux operations, to evaluate hernias and to place feeding tubes in infants and children,†said Thomas Pranikoff, M.D., a pediatric general surgeon, who uses the technique on patients ranging from newborns only days old to adolescents.
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Cost also may be reduced because patients who undergo laparoscopic procedures may spend fewer days in the hospital, Pranikoff said.