Ethics of Transition of Care of Pediatric Surgical Patients to Adult Providers

Pediatric surgeons have significantly improved survival rates for children with complex conditions, transforming many previously terminal cases into long-term survivorship. What was once a few years of follow-up has now become decades, leading to patients living well into adulthood, facing new challenges that often fall outside the traditional pediatric care zone. This creates an ethical dilemma: balancing beneficence and non-maleficence while ensuring equity in caring for new patients who require our expertise.