Dedicated treatment zone separates children from adult patients

Independent space aims to ease anxiety for young patients and families

The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital held an opening ceremony and blessing for its new Pediatric Emergency Medical Center at 8 a.m. Friday. Pictured are senior hospital officials and staff who attended the blessing. [Seoul St. Mary's Hospital]
The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital held an opening ceremony and blessing for its new Pediatric Emergency Medical Center at 8 a.m. Friday. Pictured are senior hospital officials and staff who attended the blessing. [Seoul St. Mary's Hospital]

The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital announced Friday that its new Pediatric Emergency Medical Center — dedicated infrastructure for child and adolescent emergency patients — has begun operations.

The center is designed to strengthen emergency care for children and adolescents, a group historically underserved in adult-oriented emergency room environments. It is equipped with a dedicated system for treating pediatric emergency patients through the night and on holidays, and is expected to help close gaps in regional emergency medical coverage.

The center began full operations May 15, and a blessing ceremony was held Friday to mark the official opening.

The Rev. Shin Hee-jun, vice president for spirituality, presided over the ceremony. Senior officials and staff in attendance included hospital president Prof. Lee Ji-yeol, medical vice president Prof. Kwak Seung-ki, administrative vice president the Rev. Choi Ye-won, nursing vice president Kim Hye-gyeong, St. Nicholas Children's Hospital director Prof. Jeong Nak-gyun, pediatrics clinical chief Prof. Lee Jae-wook and emergency medical center director Prof. Oh Sang-hun.

According to the 2024 Emergency Medical Statistics Yearbook published late last year by the National Emergency Medical Center, pediatric and adolescent patients account for approximately 17 percent of all emergency room visits. The field is particularly demanding because clinical symptoms vary widely by age and children's physical development differs at each stage, requiring precise, individualized assessment and judgment.

Against this backdrop, the government and the medical community have consistently called for dedicated infrastructure for pediatric and adolescent emergency patients. The new center's designation is expected to improve medical access for children and adolescents in the region and help build a more systematic emergency care framework.

The Pediatric Emergency Medical Center sits on the first floor of the main building, adjacent to the existing emergency medical center, and operates as an independent space with patient flow and treatment zones separate from the adult emergency area. The arrangement is intended to prevent secondary infection risks for young patients and to ensure children receive care in a psychologically stable environment.

Pediatric emergency specialists are on site around the clock to provide rapid and accurate initial diagnosis and treatment. To strengthen infectious disease response and improve coordinated care, the center has established dedicated pediatric emergency spaces — including inpatient rooms, negative-pressure isolation beds, general isolation beds and intensive care beds. The center aims to become a key regional hub capable of handling the full spectrum of emergency conditions, including critically ill pediatric and adolescent patients.

Prof. Bae Woo-ri, director of the Pediatric Emergency Medical Center, said that unlike adults, children have limited ability to express their symptoms and their condition can change rapidly, meaning the first response often determines the outcome. "We will do everything we can to ensure that critically ill pediatric emergency patients do not miss the golden hour, through hotline operations and expansion of the in-hospital fast track," she added.

St. Nicholas Children's Hospital director Prof. Jeong Nak-gyun said he would spare no attention or support to ensure that children who complete initial treatment at the Pediatric Emergency Medical Center can be seamlessly referred to the relevant subspecialties within the children's hospital for continued treatment.


woo@heraldcorp.com