 Dr. Kenneth Shaw, MUHC medical director of pediatric trauma, director of Surgical Emergency and a general surgeon for The MCH. (Photo: Owen Egan) |
When he takes to the ice for the TMR Royals, an "executive league" hockey team, Kenneth Shaw wears goalie pads. He also wears a pager.
Off the ice, Shaw is the Medical Director of Pediatric Trauma for the Montreal Children's Hospital of the MUHC. In this role being "oncall" - which means wearing a pager - is routine.
The Children's Emergency Department sees approximately 13,000 trauma cases per year. The most common cases involve injuries to ankles, fingers, and wrists; lacerations; and head injuries.
"Pediatric trauma is an interesting area to work in because it really exposes staff and residents to a broad cross-section of pediatric health care," says Shaw. "Young patients also present challenges not seen in adults."
Shaw recalls a surgery case where the surgical team had to insert a scope - an invasive procedure likely unnecessary for an adult patient - into a boy who had spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (an infection of the abdominal wall). "A child's anatomy," Shaw explains, "can make it hard for our radiologists to be certain that, say, the appendix is working. So we sometimes have to use other ways to diagnose a patient."
Surgical, medical, nursing, rehabilitation and psycho-social services make up the Children's Hospital system of trauma care. "We have dedicated people with dedicated areas of expertise," says Debbie Friedman, administrative director of Pediatric Trauma, "all working together to meet the multifaceted needs of the different levels of severity, and types, of trauma."
On a wall chart in her office, Friedman maintains weekly statistics on mechanisms of emergency trauma cases so she can identify trends (e.g., hockey injuries increase during tournament season, rollerblading injuries during summer). She also issues public alerts and seasonal injury prevention recommendations accordingly.
From appendicitis to esophageal injuries, Shaw, who is also the Director of Surgical Emergency and a General Surgeon for The Children's, sees it all. A "typical" week might find him operating for fifteen hours on a teenaged boy riddled with tumours unresponsive to chemotherapy - then seeing a young boy presenting with a rare case of congenital rectal abscesses.
Shaw is proud of his collection of artwork and photos sent by former patients. "There's nothing more satisfying," says the father of two, "than seeing a baby come in with a lethal abnormality and being able to correct it - then watching her grow up and go to school and lead a healthy life."
Chuckling, he admits to another job perk. "When it comes time for the annual McGill staff versus residents hockey game," he grins, "I'm always there."