Melvyn Karp, MD
Biography:
Dr. Karp is board certified in both General and Pediatric Surgery and has passed subsequent recertification examinations making him one of the most experienced Pediatric Surgeons in South Florida. He is a member of multiple national associations including the American Pediatric Surgical Assoc., the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Association of Surgery of Trauma, the Society of Robotic Surgery, and the Society of Gastroenterological Surgery (SAGES). A fully trained Pediatric Surgeon, he cares for the “whole child” including the psychological management during the pre and post- operative phases of the child’s experience. Prior to joining KIDZ, he was a tenured Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Pediatric Surgery of the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. As such he had the honor and responsibility of training Fellows in that Pediatric Surgery Training Center. His academic focus was the creation of the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center of Western New York, where he authored several of the original articles defining the early diagnoses and the non-operative management of severely injured children. He published over 35 papers on various topics about the surgical care of infants and children. These helped define minimizing the excessive surgical treatment of appendicitis; the method of measuring the excess pressure in a baby or child’s abdomen after surgery or trauma; and the functional capability of the spleen after injury.
Following this phase of his career, he relocated to South Florida and established a full- service private practice of Pediatric Surgery, emphasizing the minimal invasive techniques for children. He was the first to perform the newest robotic-assisted laparoscopic techniques in infants and children in Palm Beach County. As the lead surgeon in the KIDZ Surgical Center he offers the patients, as well as the medical students and residents, this breadth of experience. Dr. Karp’s major interests involve surgery on children and newborns with surgical problems. These include:
Head and Neck cysts such as Thyroglossal duct and Branchial cleft cysts, tracheostomy, and growths such as lymphatic tumors.
Chest conditions include lung infections and tumors, and Chest Wall conditions such as Pectus Excavatum.
Abdominal surgery includes gastroesophageal reflux and birth defects affecting the esophagus, stomach, intestines and rectum. Gallbladder, liver, and spleen conditions are managed with laparoscopic and robotic techniques to minimize the surgical stress in the child. Hernias, Undescended testicles, Appendicitis, and Circumcision surgery are most common. Other supportive techniques include gastrostomy feeding tubes and central venous access for nutritional support of the infant and child.
Dr. Karp continues with his focus on pediatric trauma care and is the founding director of both Pediatric Trauma Referral Centers in Palm Beach County; Delray Medical Center and Saint Mary’s Medical Center.
Specialties:
Pediatric SurgeryLocations:
9980 N. Central Park Blvd., Suite 206, Boca Raton, FL 33428
