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Mary C. Theroux, MD

Anesthesiology

Primary Office

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Children's Hospital, Delaware ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Children's Hospital, Delaware 1600 Rockland Road Wilmington, DE 19803 Appointment: (800) 416-4441

Other Offices

Get to Know Me

I have been practicing pediatric anesthesiology at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children for 23 years. I was awarded the Best Anesthesiologist Award in 2006, and I also became a full professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics in 2010. In my personal life, my husband is a retired civil engineer, and I have a son who majored in physics and business in college, and is now starting down his own path in medicine.

Why I Treat Children

If there was a group of people who, above all others, always deserve the highest levels of care, wouldn't it be children? Returning joy to the innocent lives of children has been my motivation as a doctor for over twenty years, and it will continue to be for the rest of my career. Take it from me, there is no better place to make sadness and tears transform into happiness and laughter than a hospital for children.

What I'm Passionate About

As a physician, I believe that I have a responsibility to care for the whole person, not just the injury or illness. My goal every day is to return my patients not only to a state of health through medical science, but also to a state of happiness through compassion. This goal extends to the parents and families of my patients as well, since their emotions often suffer just as much as their children's, if not more so.

How I Try to Make A Difference

Although the primary objective of a physician should be to care for the patients of today, a career full of experience and training in medicine also yields the opportunity to make a difference for the patients of tomorrow through clinical research and mentoring. With this mindset, I have dedicated a large portion of my career to investigative work aimed at advancing the practice of anesthesiology. I also love the opportunity to bring undergraduate premedical students into the OR with me to give them their first glimpse of how amazing a career in medicine can be.

Education & Training

Fellowship

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology - University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1989

Residency

  • Anesthesiology - University of South Florida, 1988
  • Pediatrics - City of Faith Hospital/Oral Roberts University, 1986

Medical/Dental School

  • MD - St. John's Medical College, 1981

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Anesthesiology/Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • American Board of Anesthesiology
  • American Board of Pediatrics/Pediatrics

Awards & Recognition

  • 2014 Delaware Today magazine, Top Doctors

Insurance Accepted

  • Aetna Better Health PA Kids HMO
  • Aetna HMO
  • Aetna PPO/EPO/POS
  • Aetna PPO/POS/EPO
  • Amerihealth Caritas DE - PENNSYLVANIA SPECIALISTS ONLY
  • Amerihealth Caritas Delaware
  • Amerihealth Caritas Delaware NJ
  • Cigna & Great West HMO/POS/EPO
  • Cigna & Great West PPO
  • Cigna Lifesource Transplant
  • Cigna/Great West HMO EPO POS
  • Cigna/Great West PPO
  • Delaware First Health
  • Delaware Medicaid/Diamond State
  • Delaware Medicare
  • Devon Health Services
  • Fidelis Care NJ Medicaid HMO
  • First Health/Affordable PPO
  • Geisinger Health Plan Commercial
  • Global Medical Managment DE/PA
  • Global Medical Mangment NJ
  • Health Partners Medicaid/Kidz Partner HMO
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Pennsylvania
  • Highmark Medicaid Health Options
  • Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
  • Independance Blue Cross/Amerihealth/Keystone Health Plan
  • Insurance Administrators of America
  • INTEGRA Administrative Group (ClaimsBridge)
  • Keystone First Medicaid HMO
  • Lifetrac Transplant
  • Maryland Medicaid
  • Multiplan PPO
  • New Jersey Medicaid
  • Pennsylvania Medicaid
  • Plan Vista/NPPN PPO
  • Preferred Healthcare PPO
  • Private Health Care Systems (PHCS)
  • Qualcare HMO/POS/PPO
  • Star Healthcare Network
  • Three Rivers Provider Network
  • Tricare/Humana Military Health Services/CHAMPVA
  • United Healthcare of the Mid-Atlantic
  • UPMC MCAID/CHIP PA DE
  • UPMC Medicaid
  • US Family Health Plan
  • Wellpoint Maryland Medcaid

  • Skeletal Dysplasia

Research Activities

As of 2013, I have published over 30 peer-reviewed papers on such topics as cerebral palsy, skeletal dysplasia, muscular dystrophy, and anesthesia for orthopedic surgery. I have also authored ten chapters in books used to teach new and emerging anesthesiologists.

Medical Interests

  • Cerebral palsy
  • One-lung ventilation
  • Skeletal dysplasia

  • Anesthetic Concerns of Children With Skeletal Dysplasia; Neurosurgery Clinics of North America; (2022).

  • Complications associated with paediatric airway management during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international, multicentre, observational study; Anaesthesia; (2022).

  • International Consensus Statement on the diagnosis, multidisciplinary management and lifelong care of individuals with achondroplasia; Nature Reviews Endocrinology; (2022).

  • Resistance to neuromuscular blockade by rocuronium in surgical patients with spastic cerebral palsy; Journal of Personalized Medicine; (2021).

  • Automated assessment of thoracic-abdominal asynchrony in patients with morquio syndrome; Diagnostics; (2021).

  • Tracheal narrowing in children and adults with mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA: evaluation with computed tomography angiography; Pediatric Radiology; (2021).

  • Pediatric Airway Management in COVID-19 Patients: Consensus Guidelines From the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia's Pediatric Difficult Intubation Collaborative and the Canadian Pediatric Anesthesia Society; Anesthesia and Analgesia; (2020).

  • Consensus Statement of the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States on Unresolved Clinical Questions Concerning the Management of Patients With Malignant Hyperthermia; Anesthesia and Analgesia; (2019).

  • Critical review of current MPS guidelines and management; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism; (2019).

  • Natural history of Morquio A patient with tracheal obstruction from birth to death; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism Reports; (2018).

  • Critical airway stenosis in an adolescent male with pompe disease and thoracic lordosis: A case report; 100 Selected Case Reports from Anesthesia and Analgesia; (2018).

  • Molecular genetics and metabolism, special edition: Diagnosis, diagnosis and prognosis of Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism; (2018).

  • Use of caudal epidural catheter in a child with cerebral palsy with prior posterior spine (T1-sacrum) fusion; Indian Journal of Anaesthesia; (2018).

  • Metatropic dysplasia—a skeletal dysplasia with challenging airway and other anesthetic concerns; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2017).

  • Intraoperative Presentation of Malignant Hyperthermia (Confirmed by RYR1 Gene Mutation, c.7522C>T; p.R2508C) Leads to Diagnosis of King-Denborough Syndrome in a Child With Hypotonia and Dysmorphic Features: A Case Report; A & A case reports; (2017).

  • Best practices in peri-operative management of patients with skeletal dysplasias; American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A; (2017).

  • Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA and glycosaminoglycans; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism; (2017).

  • Surgical Reconstruction for Severe Tracheal Obstruction in Morquio A Syndrome; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2016).

  • A case series of peripheral nerve blocks in pediatrics and young adults with skeletal dysplasia; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2016).

  • Activity of daily living for Morquio A syndrome; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism; (2016).

  • Current therapies for Morquio A syndrome and their clinical outcomes; Expert Opinion on Orphan Drugs; (2016).

  • Obstructive airway in Morquio A syndrome, the past, the present and the future; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism; (2016).

  • Clinical relevance of echocardiogram in patients with cerebral palsy undergoing posterior spinal fusion; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2015).

  • Diagnostic evaluation, monitoring, and perioperative management of spinal cord compression in patients with Morquio syndrome; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism; (2015).

  • Non-invasive pulmonary function test on Morquio patients; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism; (2015).

  • Paraplegia after epidural-general anesthesia in a Morquio patient with moderate thoracic spinal stenosis,Paraplégie après anesthésie péridurale-générale chez un patient ayant un syndrome de Morquio et une sténose modérée du canal médullaire thoracique; Canadian Journal of Anesthesia; (2015).

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

  • 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).

  • Major Surgical Procedures in Children with Cerebral Palsy; Anesthesiology Clinics; (2014).

  • Morquio A syndrome: Diagnosis and current and future therapies; Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews; (2014).

  • Core myopathies and malignant hyperthermia susceptibility: A review; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2013).

  • Pathogenesis of morquio A syndrome: An autopsied case reveals systemic storage disorder; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism; (2013).

  • Disruption of Basal Lamina Components in Neuromotor Synapses of Children with Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy; PLoS ONE; (2013).

  • Spinal involvement in mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (Morquio-Brailsford or Morquio A syndrome): Presentation, diagnosis and management; Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease; (2013).

  • Anesthetic care and perioperative complications of children with Morquio syndrome; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2012).

  • Hyperoxia during one lung ventilation: Inflammatory and oxidative responses; Pediatric Pulmonology; (2012).

  • Surfactant administration prior to one lung ventilation: Physiological and inflammatory correlates in a piglet model; Pediatric Pulmonology; (2011).

  • Protective ventilation to reduce inflammatory injury from one lung ventilation in a piglet model; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2010).

  • Low dose methylprednisolone prophylaxis to reduce inflammation during one-lung ventilation; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2008).

  • C histomorphology of neuromuscular junction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2008).

  • Axillary catheter for brachial plexus analgesia in children for postoperative pain control and rigorous physiotherapy - A simple and effective procedure [9]; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2007).

  • Dysmorphic neuromuscular junctions associated with motor ability in cerebral palsy; Muscle and Nerve; (2005).

  • Surgery and anesthesia for children who have cerebral palsy; Anesthesiology Clinics of North America; (2005).

  • Cytokine Release, Pancreatic Injury, and Risk of Acute Pancreatitis after Spinal Fusion Surgery; Digestive Diseases and Sciences; (2004).

  • Plastic bronchitis: A case report; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2004).

  • Clotting parameters and thromboelastography in children with neuromuscular and idiopathic scoliosis undergoing posterior spinal fusion.; Spine; (2004).

  • Multimodality monitoring of transcranial electric motor and somatosensory-evoked potentials during surgical correction of spinal deformity in patients with cerebral palsy and other neuromuscular disorders; Spine; (2003).

  • Popliteal pterygium syndrome with syngnathia; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2003).

  • Neuromuscular junctions in cerebral palsy: Presence of extrajunctional acetylcholine receptors; Anesthesiology; (2002).

  • Succinylcholine pretreatment using gallamine or mivacurium during rapid sequence induction in children: A randomized, controlled study; Journal of Clinical Anesthesia; (2001).

  • The potency of succinylcholine in obese adolescents; Anesthesia and Analgesia; (2000).

  • Tracheal intubation for awake versus paralyzed infants with pyloric stenosis [4]; Anesthesia and Analgesia; (1998).

  • Juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis: Scary anaesthetic!; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (1998).

  • A study of desmopressin and blood loss during spinal fusion for neuromuscular scoliosis: A randomized, controlled, double-blinded study; Anesthesiology; (1997).

  • Can final EMG baseline be used as a reference to calculate neuromuscular recovery?; Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica; (1997).

  • Comparison of cuffed and uncuffed endotracheal tubes in young children during general anesthesia; Anesthesiology; (1997).

  • Recovery from doxacurium infusion administered to produce immobility for more than four days in pediatric patients in the intensive care unit; Anesthesia and Analgesia; (1997).

  • Combinations of high-dose vecuronium and mivacurium provide similar paralysis and intubation conditions to succinylcholine in paediatric patients; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (1996).

  • Laryngeal mask airway and fiberoptic endoscopy in an infant with Schwartz- Jampel syndrome [7]; Anesthesiology; (1995).

  • Succinylcholine sensitivity in cerebral palsy [3]; Anesthesia and Analgesia; (1995).

  • Dose response of succinylcholine at the adductor pollicis of children with cerebral palsy during propofol and nitrous oxide anesthesia; Anesthesia and Analgesia; (1994).

  • Intranasal midazolam - Study results challenged [4]; Pediatrics; (1994).

  • Efficacy of intranasal midazolam in facilitating suturing of lacerations in preschool children in the emergency department; Pediatrics; (1993).

  • English