Kirk W. Reichard, MD

Surgery

Primary Office

Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware 1600 Rockland Road Wilmington, DE 19803 Appointment: (800) 416-4441

Other Offices

Get to Know Me

Dr. Kirk W. Reichard is the clinical director, Div. of General Surgery; Surgical Director, O.R. and the Bariatric Surgery Program; Med. Director, Nemours Partners for Perinatal Management; fellow, American College of Surgeons and American Academy of Pediatrics; member Children’s Oncology Group and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Why I Treat Children

My grandfather was a physician, so I was inspired to go into medicine at an early age. I’ve always liked children, and often relate to them better than many adults. As a doctor, I feel I can really make a difference in the lives of children because they have so much ahead of them. One of my top priorities is to help children and their families learn how to lead healthier, happier lives.

How I Try to Make A Difference

Today, in addition to treating children, I’m the director of the Chest Wall program and the Surgical Weight Management program. I feel strongly that these and other programs can have a powerful effect on the lives of many kids who come here for help.

Education & Training

Fellowship

  • Pediatric Surgery - St. Christophers Hospital for Children, 1997

Internship Residency

  • General Surgery - University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chic, 1995

Medical/Dental School

  • MD - University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 1988

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Surgery/General Surgery
  • American Board of Surgery/Pediatric Surgery

Awards & Recognition

  • 2014 Best Doctors in America
  • 2013 Best Doctors in America
  • 2012 Best Doctors in America
  • 2011 Best Doctors in America
  • 2010 America’s Top Surgeons
  • 2010 Best Doctors in America
  • 2009 Best Doctors in America
  • 2008 Best Doctors in America
  • 2007 Best Doctors in America
  • 2004 “Great Docs for Kids 2004” — Pediatric Surgery, Main Line Today Magazine
  • 2003 Baltimore’s “Top Docs for Kids” — Pediatric Surgery, Baltimore Magazine

Insurance Accepted

  • Aetna Better Health FL Medicaid and Healthy Kids
  • Aetna Better Health PA Kids HMO
  • Aetna HMO
  • Aetna HMO/POS/PPO/EPO
  • Aetna PPO/POS/EPO
  • Amerihealth Caritas DE - PENNSYLVANIA SPECIALISTS ONLY
  • Amerihealth Caritas Delaware
  • AmeriHealth Caritas Florida (FKA Prestige Health Choice)
  • AvMed
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield Non HMO
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida Blue Select
  • Carefirst MD Community Health Plan Mcaid
  • Cigna & Great West HMO/POS Open Access
  • Cigna & Great West PPO/EPO
  • Cigna/Great West HMO EPO POS
  • Cigna/Great West PPO
  • Community Care Plan Medicaid
  • Delaware First Health
  • Delaware Medicaid/Diamond State
  • Delaware Medicare
  • Devon Health Services
  • Employers Health Network PPO
  • Fidelis Care NJ Medicaid HMO
  • First Health Aetna PPO/EPO
  • First Health/Affordable PPO
  • Florida Medicaid
  • Florida Medicare
  • Geisinger Health Plan Commercial
  • Global Medical Managment DE/PA
  • Health First Health Plans
  • Health Partners Medicaid/Kidz Partner HMO
  • HealthSmart Health Plans PPO
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware *PA Loc Contiguous to DE*
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware *PA Loc NONContiguous to DE*
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Pennsylvania
  • Highmark Medicaid Health Options
  • Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
  • HUMANA HEALTHY HORIZONS (FKA HUMANA MEDICAID)
  • Humana HMO/POS
  • Humana PPO/EPO
  • Independance Blue Cross/Amerihealth/Keystone Health Plan
  • Insurance Administrators of America
  • INTEGRA Administrative Group (ClaimsBridge)
  • Interlink Transplant
  • Keystone First Medicaid HMO
  • Lifetrac Transplant
  • Maryland Medicaid
  • Molina Healthcare Medicaid
  • Multiplan PPO
  • National Transplant (Humana)
  • New Jersey Medicaid
  • Olympus Managed Healthcare PPO ORL
  • Pennsylvania Medicaid
  • Plan Vista/NPPN PPO
  • Preferred Healthcare PPO
  • Prime Health Services PPO Specialty Florida
  • Private Health Care Systems (PHCS)
  • Qualcare HMO/POS/PPO
  • Simply Healthcare Healthy Kids
  • Simply Healthcare Medicaid HMO
  • Star Healthcare Network
  • Sunshine SMI/CMS 19 & 21
  • Sunshine State Health Plan Medicaid
  • Three Rivers Provider Network
  • Tricare/Humana Military Health Services/CHAMPVA
  • United Healthcare Commercial Products
  • United Healthcare Community Plan Medicaid
  • United Healthcare of the Mid-Atlantic
  • UPMC MCAID/CHIP PA DE
  • Volusia Health Network PPO/EPO
  • Wellpoint Maryland Medcaid

  • Abdominal Masses
  • Anti-Reflux Surgery
  • Breast Disorders
  • Burn Care
  • Chest Wall Disorders
  • Gall Bladder Disease
  • Hernias and Hydroceles
  • Wound Care

Research Activities

I’m focused on research into continuous quality improvement and finding ways of delivering better care, more safely for children. This includes bariatric surgery and ways to help children develop healthy habits early in life.

Medical Interests

  • Chest wall deformities
  • Childhood obesity
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Minimally invasive surgery
  • Pediatric surgical oncology
  • Weight loss surgery

  • Preoperative Depression Status and 5 Year Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Outcomes in the PCORnet Bariatric Study Cohort; Annals of Surgery; (2023).

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  • Multicenter Assessment of Cryoanalgesia Use in Minimally Invasive Repair of Pectus Excavatum: A 20-center Retrospective Cohort Study; Annals of Surgery; (2023).

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  • A Standardized Diagnostic Pathway for Suspected Appendicitis in Children Reduces Unnecessary Imaging; Pediatric Quality and Safety; (2022).

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  • Continuous Local Anesthetic Infusion via Chest Wall Catheter for Analgesia After Thoracic Surgery in Neonates: A Case Series; A and A Practice; (2021).

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  • The safety and efficacy of using negative pressure incisional wound VACs in pediatric and neonatal patients; Journal of Pediatric Surgery; (2020).

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  • Standardized pathway for feeding tube placement reduces unnecessary surgery and improves value of care; Journal of Pediatric Surgery; (2020).

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  • Reducing resource utilization for patients with uncomplicated appendicitis through use of same-day discharge and elimination of postoperative antibiotics; Journal of Pediatric Surgery; (2020).

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  • Comparing the 5-year diabetes outcomes of sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass the national patient-centered clinical research network (PCORNet) bariatric study; JAMA Surgery; (2020).

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  • Pediatric metabolic and bariatric surgery: Evidence, barriers, and best practices; Pediatrics; (2019).

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  • Metabolic and bariatric surgery for pediatric patients with severe obesity; Pediatrics; (2019).

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  • ASMBS pediatric metabolic and bariatric surgery guidelines, 2018; Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases; (2018).

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  • Psychological contributors to noncompletion of an adolescent preoperative bariatric surgery program; Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases; (2017).

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  • Ovarian tumors; Fundamentals of Pediatric Surgery, Second Edition; (2016).

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  • Continuous chest wall ropivacaine infusion for analgesia in children undergoing Nuss procedure: A comparison with thoracic epidural; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2016).

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  • Response to comments by Yibo et al. regarding our manuscript: Prophylactic methylprednisolone to reduce inflammation and improve outcomes from one lung ventilation in children: A randomized clinical trial; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2015).

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  • Prophylactic methylprednisolone to reduce inflammation and improve outcomes from one lung ventilation in children: A randomized clinical trial; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2015).

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  • Pediatric and adolescent obesity: Management, options for surgery, and outcomes; Journal of Pediatric Surgery; (2014).

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  • Changes in weight and co-morbidities among adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery: 1-year results from the Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database; Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases; (2013).

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  • Evaluation of weight loss on a low-calorie meal replacement diet as a potential predictor of weight loss after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery in adolescents; Obesity Surgery; (2013).

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  • ASMBS pediatric committee best practice guidelines; Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases; (2012).

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  • Pre- and postoperative imaging of adolescents undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery; Pediatric Radiology; (2012).

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  • Developing criteria for pediatric/adolescent bariatric surgery programs; Pediatrics; (2011).

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  • Grade 1 microtia, wide anterior fontanel and novel type tracheo-esophageal fistula in methimazole embryopathy; American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A; (2011).

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  • Use of the LAP-BAND® in adolescents: A discussion with the experts; Bariatric Nursing and Surgical Patient Care; (2011).

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  • Ovarian tumors; Fundamentals of Pediatric Surgery; (2011).

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  • Pilot study using an Internet-based program in informed consent; Journal of Pediatric Surgery; (2010).

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  • Intestinal nonrotation in an adolescent; Pediatric Emergency Care; (2009).

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  • Bariatric surgery in morbidly obese adolescents.; Maryland medicine : MM : a publication of MEDCHI, the Maryland State Medical Society; (2004).

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  • Newcastle disease virus therapy of human tumor xenografts: Antitumor effects of local or systemic administration; Cancer Letters; (2001).

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  • Results of transplantation for acute and chronic hepatic allograft rejection; Journal of Pediatric Surgery; (1998).

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  • Fibrosing colonopathy in children with cystic fibrosis; Journal of Pediatric Surgery; (1997).

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  • Vascular trauma and reconstructive approaches; Seminars in Pediatric Surgery; (1994).

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  • Fibrosarcoma of the head and neck; The American Journal of Surgery; (1994).

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  • Endoscopically defined treatment strategies in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer; Surgical Endoscopy; (1994).

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  • Complete regression of human neuroblastoma xenografts in athymic mice after local newcastle disease virus therapy; Journal of the National Cancer Institute; (1994).

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  • Arteriography in the evaluation of penetrating pediatric extremity injuries; Journal of Pediatric Surgery; (1994).

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  • Retinoic acid enhances killing of neuroblastoma cells by Newcastle disease virus; Journal of Pediatric Surgery; (1993).

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  • Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue: Experience with 86 consecutive cases; Journal of Surgical Oncology; (1993).

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  • Newcastle disease virus selectively kills human tumor cells; Journal of Surgical Research; (1992).

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  • Malignant schwannoma of the head and neck; The American Journal of Surgery; (1992).

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  • English