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Latest Pediatric Surgery research

The 10 most useful pediatric surgery studies published this week, chosen from Q1 journals and graded on the Oxford CEBM evidence hierarchy. Each paper links to a short summary and the original on PubMed. Updated 22 September 2026.

Top 10 this week

Week of 20 September 2026

  1. 1

    Association between surgical repair timing and mortality in neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

    Clinical and experimental pediatrics · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 17 September 2026

    High-quality evidence in a top journal

  2. 2

    Individually Targeted Human Milk Fortification: A Randomized Clinical Trial

    JAMA pediatrics · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 14 September 2026

    In a double-blind trial of 130 infants born 24-30 weeks, point-of-care milk analysis guided extra protein or fat but did not improve weight, length, head-circumference z scores, fat-free mass, or near-term brain MRI compared with standard fortification. Both groups met nutrient targets, suggesting routine targeted fortification is unnecessary.

  3. 3

    International consensus statements and clinical support tool on the timing and considerations of vaginal replacement in patients with anorectal malformations, vaginal agenesis, and identifiable Müllerian structures

    Journal of pediatric surgery · Q1 journal · Guideline · Evidence level 1 (High) · 17 September 2026

    Consensus on timing of vaginal replacement in ARM patients

  4. 4

    Neonatal Ventilation Training Using a Low-Cost, High-Fidelity Simulator in a Low-Resource Setting: A Randomized Clinical Trial

    JAMA network open · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 1 September 2026

    Ranked by evidence level and journal quartile

  5. 5

    Short or Long Antibiotic Regimens in Orthopedics

    The New England journal of medicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 16 September 2026

    In 475 adults who received a local-antibiotic implant during surgery, definite treatment failure by 12 months occurred in 11% of those given up to 7 days of systemic antibiotics versus 14% of those given at least 4 weeks, meeting the pre-specified non-inferiority margin. Short-course patients also reported far fewer treatment-related symptoms (17% vs 45%). The finding supports limiting systemic therapy, though longer-term outcomes remain to be studied.

  6. 6

    Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose and exercise capacity in iron-deficient kidney transplant recipients: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial in the Netherlands

    EClinicalMedicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 1 September 2026

    In a double-blind trial of 148 iron-deficient kidney-transplant patients, four doses of ferric carboxymaltose raised hemoglobin but improved 6-minute walk distance by only 9 m versus placebo, a change deemed clinically insignificant. The treatment did not enhance cardiac, muscle, cognitive function or quality of life, leaving routine iron supplementation for functional gain unsupported.

  7. 7

    Corticosteroids as adjunctive therapy to standard treatment in Kawasaki disease: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

    European journal of pediatrics · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 14 September 2026

    High-quality evidence in a top journal

  8. 8

    Short-term versus long-course neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PACT-21 CASSANDRA): results from the second randomisation analysis of a randomised, open-label, 2 × 2 factorial phase 3 trial

    EClinicalMedicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 5 September 2026

    In the PACT-21/CASSANDRA trial, 86 patients receiving two extra months of chemotherapy before surgery and 79 receiving it after surgery had identical event-free survival (hazard ratio about 1). However, the longer regimen yielded higher CA19-9 response, a 5% complete pathological response rate and more N0 resections. Overall survival data are pending, underscoring the need for more effective neoadjuvant strategies.

  9. 9

    Survival After Irreversible Electroporation in Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Meta-analysis

    The Journal of surgical research · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 15 September 2026

    In a meta-analysis of 31 studies (1,296 patients), patients receiving irreversible electroporation lived a median 16.3 months, roughly seven months longer than those treated without it. Survival was unrelated to age, sex, tumor size or location, and was similar whether the procedure was surgical or percutaneous. The finding, based on low-to-moderate certainty evidence, underscores the need for randomized trials.

  10. 10

    Blinatumomab for Replacing Chemotherapy in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

    The New England journal of medicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 17 September 2026

    In a randomized trial of 709 children with high-risk B-cell ALL, replacing two chemotherapy cycles with blinatumomab raised 4-year event-free survival to 83% compared with 70% for standard therapy. Infections fell dramatically (24% vs 69%), but neuro-toxic events were three times more common. Long-term safety and optimal integration into treatment regimens remain to be defined.

Paper of the day, last two weeks

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