Thane A. Blinman, MD, FACS

Thane A. Blinman, MD, FACS

Thane A. Blinman, MD, is an attending pediatric surgeon and Director of the General Surgery Fellowship Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Areas of Expertise: GERD, Minimally invasive surgery, Myasthenia gravis, Biliary disease
Locations: Main Campus
Appointments and Referrals: 1-800-TRY-CHOP (1-800-879-2467)

Background

Dr. Blinman is an attending surgeon at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and associate professor of Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He also serves as the director of the General Surgery Fellowship Program, director of Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistant director of Trauma Surgery, all at CHOP.

As a general surgeon, Dr. Blinman has a wide area of interest in pediatric conditions.

Dr. Blinman leads the Surgical Reflux Clinic (SIX), a unique multidisciplinary program that supports patients and families following surgery for GERD.

"With the SIX Clinic, we really bring a holistic approach to patient care,” Dr. Blinman said. “We have a great deal of expertise and experience working with GERD patients, customizing surgical and nonsurgical treatment, as well as following them long-term.”

Dr. Blinman also has an interest in advancing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) — particularly in neonates and in particularly vulnerable populations of children, such as those with conditions like congenital diaphragmatic hernia, congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) and Hirschsprung’s disease.

By using minimally invasive surgery to treat these conditions, surgeons can use smaller instruments and tools, smaller surgical incisions, and babies can recover more quickly after surgery.

Dr. Blinman earned his bachelor's of science degree in biology and kinesiology from the University of California at Los Angeles, CA, and his medical degree from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. He completed his internship and surgical residency at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Dr. Blinman completed a research fellowship at West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, and a pediatric surgery fellowship at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Blinman has authored dozens of clinical articles and book chapters, served as a reviewer for peer-reviewed medical journals and is a frequent presenter at local and national surgical conferences. Additionally, Dr. Blinman has appeared in several videos and podcasts regarding pediatric surgical techniques and treatments.

Education and Training

Medical School

MD — Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Internship

General Surgery — UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

Residency

General Surgery — UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

Fellowship

Research — West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Pediatric Surgery — The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Board Certification

General Surgery
Pediatric Surgery

Titles and Academic Titles

Attending Surgeon

Director, General Surgery Fellowship

Associate Professor of Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Conditions Treated

Departments and Services

Publications

Papers

2015

Jensen EA, Munson DA, Zhang H, Blinman TA, Kirpalani H. Anti-gastroesophageal reflux surgery in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2015;50(6):584-587.

2014

Jensen EA, Munson DA, Zhang H, Blinman TA, Kirpalani H. Anti-gastroesophageal reflux surgery in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2014 Apr 21. [Epub ahead of print] Read the abstract.

2011

Calabria AC, Gallagher PR, Simmons R, Blinman T, De León DD. Postoperative surveillance and detection of postprandial hypoglycemia after fundoplasty in children. J Pediatr. 2011 Oct;159(4):597-601.e1. Epub 2011 May 17.
Cited in PubMed; PMID 21592499. Read the abstract

Biko DM, Anupindi SA, Hanhan SB, Blinman T, Markowitz RI. Assessment of recurrent abdominal symptoms after Ladd procedure: clinical and radiographic correlation. J Pediatr Surg. 2011 Sep;46(9):1720-5. Cited in PubMed; PMID 21929980. Read the abstract

Blinman T, Cook R. Allometric prediction of energy expenditure in infants and children. Infant Child Adolesc Nutr. 2011 Aug;3(4):216-224. Cited in PubMed; PMCID: PMC3255515.Read the article

Santore MT, Deans KJ, Behar BJ, Blinman TA, Adzick NS, Flake AW. Laparoscopic hepaticoduodenostomy versus open hepaticoduodenostomy for reconstruction after resection of choledochal cyst. J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 2011 May;21(4):375-8. Epub 2011 Mar 28. Cited in PubMed; PMID 21443442. Read the abstract

Frioux SM, Blinman T, Christian CW. Vaginal lacerations from consensual intercourse in adolescents. Child Abuse Negl. 2011 Jan;35(1):69-73. Cited in PubMed; PMID 21315449. Read the abstract

Santore MT, Behar BJ, Blinman TA, Doolin EJ, Hedrick HL, Mattei P, et al. Hepaticoduodenostomy vs hepaticojejunostomy for reconstruction after resection of choledochal cyst. J Pediatr Surg. 2011 Jan;46(1):209-13. Cited in PubMed; PMID 21238669. Read the abstract 

2010

Pineles SL, Avery RA, Moss HE, Finkel R, Blinman T, Kaiser L, Liu GT. Visual and systemic outcomes in pediatric ocular myasthenia gravis. Am J Ophthalmol. Am J Ophthalmol. 2010 Oct;150(4):453-459.e3. Epub 2010 Aug 1. Cited in PubMed; PMID 20678749. Read the abstract

Blinman T. Incisions do not simply sum. Surg Endosc. 2010 Jul;24(7):1746-51. Epub 2010 Jan 7. Cited in PubMed; PMID 20054565. Read the abstract

Books

Chapters

2015

Blinman, TA. Gastroesophageal Reflux and the Neonatal Airway. In: Sobol S, Lioy J, ed. Disorders of the Neonatal Airway. New York: Springer; 2015. p. 281-294.

2011

Blinman TA. Gastroesophageal reflux disease. In: Mattei P, editor. Fundamentals of pediatric surgery. New York: Springer; 2011. p. 333-41.

Blinman TA. Pediatric trauma resuscitation. In: Mattei P, editor. Fundamentals of pediatric surgery. New York: Springer; 2011. p. 103-9.

Blinman TA, Rothenberg SS. Laparoscopic repair of diaphragmatic defects: congenital diaphragmatic hernia (of Bochdalek) and eventration. In: Bax Klaas KNMA, Georgeson KE, Rothenberg S, Valla JS, Yeung CK, editors. Endoscopic surgery in infants and children. Berlin: Springer; 2008. p. 569-73.

2008

Blinman T, Nance ML. Special consideration in trauma in children. In Flint L, Meredith JW, Schwab CW, Trunkey DD, Rue LW, Taheri PA, editors. Trauma: contemporary principles and therapy. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins; 2008. p. 575-95.

1999

Chandler C, Blinman T, Cryer H. Acute renal failure. In: Mattox DL, Moore EE, Feliciano DV, editors. Trauma. 4th ed. New York: Appleton & Lange; 1999. p. 174-201.

Editorial and Academic Positions

Editorial positions

Ad hoc reviewer

2005-present, Anesthesia and Analgesia
2004-present, Annals of Surgery
2004-present, Pediatric Emergency Care
2004-present, Surgical Endoscopy

Academic and institutional committees

2010-present, Medical Education Council
2008-present, Epic Clinical Advisory Team
2008-present, GS EpicCare Implementation Team
2006-present, SCM Downtime Committee
2006-present, Trauma Committee
2006-present, Strategic Telecommunications Planning Meeting