Vitamin D in pediatric surgery and orthopedics: A modifiable perioperative variable

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Core Tip: Vitamin D deficiency affects many children undergoing surgery, but its surgical consequences have been asserted more often than measured.Correcting deficiency restores the capacity to mineralize new bone within weeks, which matters for osteotomy healing, arthrodesis, and regenerate consolidation.It does not restore bone mass, so it will not improve screw purchase on the day of surgery.Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D also falls during an operation, so a perioperative sample cannot classify baseline status.Test at surgical listing, prescribe calcium with every vitamin D prescription, and never delay fracture fixation to correct a laboratory value.The fourstep pathway proposed here is unvalidated for improving surgical outcomes and is offered as a testable default rather than as a standard.