David E. Skarda
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David E. Skarda, MD, MBA

Languages spoken: English, Spanish

Clinical Locations

Primary Children's Hospital

Pediatric Surgery
Salt Lake City
801-662-2950

Primary Children's Hospital - Lehi

Pediatric Surgery
Lehi
801-662-2950

St. Vincent Healthcare

SCL Health Medical Group - Fortin Pediatric Specialty Clinic
Billings
406-237-5300

  • David E. Skarda, M.D., M.B.A., is a leader in pediatric surgical care, dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for your child (baby, toddler, school-age, or teen). His unique qualifications include specialized training in minimally invasive surgical techniques and being the sole DaVinci robot-certified and credentialed pediatric surgeon in the Intermountain West.

    As a board-certified pediatric surgeon in the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Primary Children’s Hospitals, Dr. Skarda is committed to providing leading-edge compassionate surgical care promptly. He places a strong emphasis on patient education, ensuring that you fully understand the procedures, options, risks, and benefits. He is available for new patient consultations at his clinics at Primary Children’s Hospitals (Salt Lake City and Lehi, Utah) and St. Vincent Hospital in Billings, Montana.

    Dr. Skarda has specific clinical experience and expertise in surgically managing chronic nausea and abdominal pain syndromes in children and teenagers, including median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS), superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMA), gastroparesis, biliary dyskinesia (pain from a gallbladder that does not work well), and symptomatic cholelithiasis (pain from gallstones). Notably, Dr. Skarda works as part of an organized multidisciplinary team to correctly diagnose and treat these conditions.

    He is happy to see patients via telemedicine technology (such as Zoom) for most conditions.

    An in-person visit may be necessary for some conditions where direct examination is critical. Our clinic nurses can help you know if a face-to-face visit is needed or helpful.

    He speaks Spanish.

    He will talk to you and/or your child’s doctor.

    Dr. Skarda specializes in the following elective conditions through the clinic:

    • Inguinal hernia
    • Umbilical hernia
    • Cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder)
    • G Tube (both placement and removal of a stomach tube)
    • Reflux (Nissan fundoplication and redo fundoplications for recurrent reflux, robotic)
    • Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS, robotic)
    • Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMA, robotic)
    • Gastroparesis
    • Paraesophageal hernia (robotic)
    • Hiatal Hernia (robotic)
    • Vascular access
    • Chest wall deformities (pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum)
    • Pneumothorax
    • Urachal and omphalomesenteric remnants

    He specializes in the following emergent and urgent

    • Appendectomy (removal of the appendix)
    • Intestinal obstructions
    • Intestinal atresias
    • Esophageal atresia
    • Congenital diaphragmatic hernia
    • Volvulus
    • Malrotation

    In his free time, Dr. Skarda likes spending time with his wife Paula, their adult children, and their grandchild at home, traveling and outdoors. Additionally, Dr. Skarda is a pilot and enjoys learning new skills.

    Specialties

    Board Certification

    American Board of Surgery (Sub: General Surgery)
    American Board of Surgery (Sub: Pediatric Surgery)

  • David E. Skarda, M.D., M.B.A., is a leader in pediatric surgical care, dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for your child (baby, toddler, school-age, or teen). His unique qualifications include specialized training in minimally invasive surgical techniques and being the sole DaVinci robot-certified and credentialed pediatric surgeon in the Intermountain West.

    As a board-certified pediatric surgeon in the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Primary Children’s Hospitals, Dr. Skarda is committed to providing leading-edge compassionate surgical care promptly. He places a strong emphasis on patient education, ensuring that you fully understand the procedures, options, risks, and benefits. He is available for new patient consultations at his clinics at Primary Children’s Hospitals (Salt Lake City and Lehi, Utah) and St. Vincent Hospital in Billings, Montana.

    Dr. Skarda has specific clinical experience and expertise in surgically managing chronic nausea and abdominal pain syndromes in children and teenagers, including median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS), superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMA), gastroparesis, biliary dyskinesia (pain from a gallbladder that does not work well), and symptomatic cholelithiasis (pain from gallstones). Notably, Dr. Skarda works as part of an organized multidisciplinary team to correctly diagnose and treat these conditions.

    He is happy to see patients via telemedicine technology (such as Zoom) for most conditions.

    An in-person visit may be necessary for some conditions where direct examination is critical. Our clinic nurses can help you know if a face-to-face visit is needed or helpful.

    He speaks Spanish.

    He will talk to you and/or your child’s doctor.

    Dr. Skarda specializes in the following elective conditions through the clinic:

    • Inguinal hernia
    • Umbilical hernia
    • Cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder)
    • G Tube (both placement and removal of a stomach tube)
    • Reflux (Nissan fundoplication and redo fundoplications for recurrent reflux, robotic)
    • Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS, robotic)
    • Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMA, robotic)
    • Gastroparesis
    • Paraesophageal hernia (robotic)
    • Hiatal Hernia (robotic)
    • Vascular access
    • Chest wall deformities (pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum)
    • Pneumothorax
    • Urachal and omphalomesenteric remnants

    He specializes in the following emergent and urgent

    • Appendectomy (removal of the appendix)
    • Intestinal obstructions
    • Intestinal atresias
    • Esophageal atresia
    • Congenital diaphragmatic hernia
    • Volvulus
    • Malrotation

    In his free time, Dr. Skarda likes spending time with his wife Paula, their adult children, and their grandchild at home, traveling and outdoors. Additionally, Dr. Skarda is a pilot and enjoys learning new skills.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Surgery -Primary
    Pediatrics -Adjunct
    Academic Divisions Pediatric Surgery
    Board Certification
    American Board of Surgery (Sub: General Surgery)
    American Board of Surgery (Sub: Pediatric Surgery)

    Education history

    Other Training University of Utah, Primary Children's Hospital Certification
    University of Utah MBA
    Fellowship Pediatric Surgery - The Ohio State University - Nationwide Children's Hospital Fellow
    Minimally Invasive Surgery/Bariatric Surgery - University of Minnesota Fellow
    Fellowship Surgical Infectious Disease - University of Minnesota Fellow
    Surgical Critical Care, basic science and clinical research, Greg Beilman MD, grant from ONR - University of Minnesota Research Fellow
    Residency General Surgery - University of Minnesota Medical Center Resident
    Medicine - Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva M.D.
    Undergraduate Molecular Biology/Chemistry - Brigham Young University B.S.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Scaife JH, Hewes HA, Iantorno SE, Clinker CE, Fenton SJ, Skarda DE, Kastenberg ZJ, Swendiman RA, Russell KW (2024). Optimizing patient selection for ECMO after pediatric hypothermic cardiac arrest. Injury, 111731. (Read full article)
    2. Russell KW, Skarda DE, Jones TW, Barnhart DC, Short SS (2023). Cessation of Antibiotics for Complicated Appendicitis at Discharge Does Not Increase Risk of Post-operative Infection. J Pediatr Surg, 59(1), 91-95. (Read full article)
    3. Sullivan GA, Reiter AJ, Smith C, Glick RD, Skarda DE, Le HD, Gow KW, Rich BS, Raval MV, American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Surgery Delivery of Surgical Care Committee (2023). Pediatric Surgeon Perceptions on Operating Room Environmental Stewardship and Current Institutional Climate-Smart Actions. J Pediatr Surg. (Read full article)
    4. Skarda DE, Danko ME, Glick RD, Guner YS, Le HD, Rich BS, Robertson DJ, Short SS, Weiss RG, Van Arendonk KJ, Raval MV, Delivery of Surgical Care Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Surgery (2023). Dollars and Sense: The Business of Pediatric Surgery. J Surg Res, 285, 220-228. (Read full article)
    5. Iantorno SE, Skarda DE, Bucher BT (2023). Concurrent SARS-COV-19 and acute appendicitis: Management and outcomes across United States children's hospitals. Surgery, 173(4), 936-943. (Read full article)
    6. Ryan S, Dudley NC, Schunk JE, Weng C, Skarda DE, Glissmeyer EW (2023). Reduced Computed Tomography for Appendicitis in Children after Implementation of Next-day Surgery Clinic Follow-up. Pediatr Qual Saf, 8(2), e641. (Read full article)
    7. Iantorno SE, Short SS, Skarda DE, Rollins MD, Bucher BT (2023). Decreased incidence of Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis during COVID-19 across United States Children's hospitals. J Pediatr Surg. (Read full article)
    8. Iantorno SE, Ulugia JG, Kastenberg ZJ, Skarda DE, Bucher BT (2022). Postdischarge Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric Appendicitis: A Mediation Analysis. J Surg Res, 282, 174-182. (Read full article)
    9. Kiser AC, Eilbeck K, Ferraro JP, Skarda DE, Samore MH, Bucher B (2022). Standard Vocabularies to Improve Machine Learning Model Transferability With Electronic Health Record Data: Retrospective Cohort Study Using Health Care-Associated Infection. JMIR Med Inform, 10(8), e39057. (Read full article)
    10. Blakely ML, Tyson JE, Lally KP, Hintz SR, Eggleston B, Stevenson DK, Besner GE, Das A, Ohls RK, Truog WE, Nelin LD, Poindexter BB, Pedroza C, Walsh MC, Stoll BJ, Geller R, Kennedy KA, Dimmitt RA, Carlo WA, Cotten CM, Laptook AR, Van Meurs KP, Calkins KL, Sokol GM, Sanchez PJ, Wyckoff MH, Patel RM, Frantz ID 3rd, Shankaran S, DAngio CT, Yoder BA, Bell EF, Watterberg KL, Martin CA, Harmon CM, Rice H, Kurkchubasche AG, Sylvester K, Dunn JCY, Markel TA, Diesen DL, Bhatia AM, Flake A, Chwals WJ, Brown R, Bass KD, St Peter SD, Shanti CM, Pegoli W Jr, Skarda D, Shilyansky J, Lemon DG, Mosquera RA, Peralta-Carcelen M, Goldstein RF, Vohr BR, Purdy IB, Hines AC, Maitre NL, Heyne RJ, DeMauro SB, McGowan EC, Yolton K, Kilbride HW, Natarajan G, Yost K, Winter S, Colaizy TT, Laughon MM, Lakshminrusimha S, Higgins RD, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health Human Development Neonatal Research Network (2022). Initial Laparotomy Versus Peritoneal Drainage in Extremely Low Birthweight Infants With Surgical Necrotizing Enterocolitis or Isolated Intestinal Perforation: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial. Ann Surg, 274(4), e370-e380. (Read full article)
    11. Shi J, Hurdle JF, Johnson SA, Ferraro JP, Skarda DE, Finlayson SRG, Samore MH, Bucher BT (2021). Natural language processing for the surveillance of postoperative venous thromboembolism. Surgery, 170(4), 1175-1182. (Read full article)
    12. Glissmeyer EW, Ryan S, Dudley NC, Schunk JE, Nielsen J, Weng C, Skarda DE (2020). An Administrative Data-based Surrogate Definition Identifies Children Evaluated Beyond Physical Examination for Suspected Appendicitis. Pediatr Qual Saf, 5(6), e343. (Read full article)
    13. Bucher BT, Shi J, Ferraro JP, Skarda DE, Samore MH, Hurdle JF, Gundlapalli AV, Chapman WW, Finlayson SRG (2020). Portable Automated Surveillance of Surgical Site Infections Using Natural Language Processing: Development and Validation. Ann Surg, 272(4), 629-636. (Read full article)
    14. Pruitt LCC, Casazza GC, Newberry CI, Cardon R, Ramirez A, Krakovitz PR, Meier JD, Skarda DE (2019). Opioid Prescribing and Use in Ambulatory Otolaryngology. Laryngoscope, 130(8), 1913-1921. (Read full article)
    15. Pruitt LCC, Skarda DE, Barnhart DC, Bucher BT (2020). Impact of consolidation of cases on post-operative outcomes for index pediatric surgery cases. J Pediatr Surg, 55(6), 1048-1052. (Read full article)
    16. Pruitt LCC, Swords DS, Vijayakumar S, Ostlund B, Prochazka J, Richards NG, Bucher BT, Skarda DE (2019). Implementation of a Quality Improvement Initiative to Decrease Opioid Prescribing in General Surgery. J Surg Res, 247, 514-523. (Read full article)
    17. Newberry CI, Casazza GC, Pruitt LC, Meier JD, Skarda DE, Alt JA (2019). Prescription patterns and opioid usage in sinonasal surgery. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol, 10(3), 381-387. (Read full article)
    18. Pruitt LCC, Skarda DE, Rollins MD, Bucher BT (2019). Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis in children treated at US children's hospitals. J Pediatr Surg, 55(3), 535-540. (Read full article)
    19. Pruitt LCC, Swords DS, Russell KW, Rollins MD, Skarda DE (2019). Prescription vs. consumption: Opioid overprescription to children after common surgical procedures. J Pediatr Surg, 54(11), 2195-2199. (Read full article)
    20. Berman L, Ottosen M, Renaud E, Hsi-Dickie B, Fecteau A, Skarda D, Goldin A, Rangel S, Tsao K, APSA Quality and Safety Committee (2019). Preventing patient harm via adverse event review: An APSA survey regarding the role of morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference. J Pediatr Surg, 54(9), 1872-1877. (Read full article)
    21. Swords DS, Skarda DE, Sause WT, Gawlick U, Cannon GM, Lewis MA, Scaife CL, Gygi JA, Tae Kim H (2019). Surgeon-Level Variation in Utilization of Local Staging and Neoadjuvant Therapy for Stage II-III Rectal Adenocarcinoma. J Gastrointest Surg, 23(4), 659-669. (Read full article)
    22. Roybal J, Tsao K, Rangel S, Ottosen M, Skarda D, Berman L (2018). Surgical Safety Checklists in Children's Surgery: Surgeons' Attitudes and Review of the Literature. Pediatr Qual Saf, 3(5), e108. (Read full article)
    23. Berman L, Rangel S, Goldin A, Skarda D, Ottosen M, Bliss D, Valusek P, Fallat M, Tsao K, APSA Quality and Safety Committee (2017). Safety culture among pediatric surgeons: A national survey of attitudes and perceptions of patient safety. J Pediatr Surg, 53(3), 381-395. (Read full article)
    24. Skarda DE, Rollins M, Andrews S, McFadden M, Barnhart D, Meyers R, Scaife E (2015). One hospital, one appendectomy: The cost effectiveness of a standardized doctor's preference card. J Pediatr Surg, 50(6), 919-22. (Read full article)
    25. Skarda D, Henricksen JW, Rollins M (2012). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation promotes survival in children with trauma related respiratory failure. Pediatr Surg Int, 28(7), 711-4. (Read full article)
    26. George ME, Rueth NM, Skarda DE, Chipman JG, Quickel RR, Beilman GJ (2009). Hyperbaric oxygen does not improve outcome in patients with necrotizing soft tissue infection. Surg Infect (Larchmt), 10(1), 21-8. (Read full article)
    27. Mulier KE, Skarda DE, Taylor JH, Myers DE, McGraw MK, Gallea BL, Beilman GJ (2008). Near-infrared spectroscopy in patients with severe sepsis: correlation with invasive hemodynamic measurements. Surg Infect (Larchmt), 9(5), 515-9. (Read full article)
    28. Skarda DE, Mulier KE, George ME, Bellman GJ (2008). Eight hours of hypotensive versus normotensive resuscitation in a porcine model of controlled hemorrhagic shock. Acad Emerg Med, 15(9), 845-52. (Read full article)
    29. George ME, Skarda DE, Watts CR, Pham HD, Beilman GJ (2008). Aggressive red blood cell transfusion: no association with improved outcomes for victims of isolated traumatic brain injury. Neurocrit Care, 8(3), 337-43. (Read full article)

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