Emergency General Surgery at Denver Health: 24/7 Care for Urgent Abdominal and Surgical Conditions
The Emergency General Surgery (EGS) program at Denver Health cares for adults who need urgent or emergency surgery for conditions that are not caused by trauma. Our surgeons, advanced practice providers and residents are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for patients seen in our Emergency Department, patients already in the hospital, and patients transferred to us from hospitals across Colorado and the region.
Denver Health is one of only 15 hospitals in the United States verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) as an Emergency General Surgery program. This verification recognizes hospitals that meet national standards for the people, processes and resources needed to care for emergency surgery patients.
EGS patients also benefit from the full resources of Denver Health, an adult Level I and pediatric Level II trauma center with 555 beds on its main campus and a Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) ICU Center of Excellence.
24/7
Emergency surgery consults, every day of the year
1,727
Emergency general surgery operations in 2025
1 of 15
ACS-verified Emergency General Surgery programs in the U.S.
Conditions We Treat
Our team treats a wide range of sudden and serious surgical problems, including:
- Gallbladder and bile duct disease, such as gallstones, an inflamed gallbladder and stones in the bile duct
- Appendicitis
- Skin and soft tissue infections, including abscesses and serious wound infections
- Rectal and perianal abscesses
- Hernias, including hernias that become trapped or painful
- Abdominal emergencies that may need exploratory surgery
- Leaks and fistulas of the digestive tract
- Mesenteric ischemia (loss of blood flow to the intestines)
- Certain chest (thoracic) conditions that require surgery
Whenever possible, we use minimally invasive approaches, including laparoscopic and robotic surgery, which can mean smaller incisions and a faster recovery.
Advanced and Specialized Services
In addition to the most common emergency operations, our EGS program offers specialized procedures and services that are not widely available:
Endoluminal Wound Vacuum Therapy (EndoVAC)
Negative pressure wound therapy placed endoscopically to treat leaks and perforations of the digestive tract, often avoiding a major open operation.
Advanced Endoscopic Techniques
Endoscopic suturing and over-the-scope ("bear claw") clip closure for selected leaks, perforations and bleeding.
Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration (LCBDE)
Removal of bile duct stones during the same minimally invasive operation as gallbladder removal. Our team has published research showing LCBDE is effective, safe and less costly for treating bile duct stones.
Elective and Emergency Robotic Surgery
Robotic-assisted surgery for both scheduled and emergency general surgery cases.
Hybrid Operating Room
Combined procedures with Vascular Surgery in a hybrid operating room for patients with mesenteric ischemia.
Enterocutaneous Fistula Referral Center
Comprehensive care for patients with enterocutaneous fistulas, from nutrition and wound care through restorative surgery.
Surgical Nutrition Specialty Service
A medical home for patients with complex surgical and nutrition needs, including:
- Advanced nutrition support, including specialized feeding and parenteral (IV) nutrition
- Restorative surgery and abdominal wall reconstruction
For Referring Physicians
The Denver Health EGS service accepts transfers of adult patients with non-trauma emergency surgical conditions from outlying facilities. In 2025, we accepted 64 transfers from other hospitals.
To request a transfer, call the Denver Health Transfer Center at 1-855-602-5280.
For program questions, contact D. Dante Yeh, MD, Chief of Emergency General Surgery, at dante.yeh@dhha.org.
Our Team
Emergency general surgery care at Denver Health is delivered by a dedicated team of board-certified surgeons, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and surgical residents.
Emergency and Hospital Care
- Advanced practice providers available 24/7 for Emergency Department and inpatient consults
- Surgical residents at multiple levels of training caring for hospitalized patients under attending surgeon supervision
Outpatient Clinic
- EGS clinic open 3 1/2 days per week for follow-up and evaluation
- One dedicated procedure clinic day each week
- Four full-time advanced practice providers
Program Leadership
D. Dante Yeh, MD, MHPE, FACS, FCCM, FASPEN
Chief, Emergency General Surgery
Lara Miller, MSN, RN
Administrative Director, Department of Surgery
Jim Naumiec, MSN, RN
EGS Program Manager, Department of Surgery
Carley Hill, MSN, RN
Operations Manager, Department of Surgery
A Team Approach to Emergency Surgery
Our EGS Committee brings together experts from across Denver Health to continuously improve care for emergency surgery patients. In addition to EGS surgeons and advanced practice providers, the committee includes leaders from Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, Interventional Radiology, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, Pathology, the operating room and recovery unit (PACU), the Surgical ICU, inpatient and Emergency Department nursing, Pharmacy, the Laboratory and Blood Bank, and the Transfer Center.
Education and Research
As an academic surgical program, Denver Health EGS trains the next generation of surgeons and contributes to national research and guidelines in emergency general surgery. Each year, the Department of Surgery hosts a Visiting Professor Lecture featuring a national expert in the field.
Our surgeons have recently published research and national consensus work on topics including bile duct stones, appendicitis, intra-abdominal infection, necrotizing pancreatitis, ventral hernia repair, digestive tract leaks and nutrition for patients with enterocutaneous fistulas.
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Recent Denver Health EGS Publications
- Ramser B, Coleoglou A, Ferre A, Thomas S, Brooke M, Pieracci FM. Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration is an effective, safe, and less-costly method of treating choledocholithiasis. Surg Endosc. 2024;38:6076.
- Lall JS, Maldonado S, Lyons NB, et al., Yeh DD, Liang M. Expert consensus for key components of a high-quality ventral hernia repair operative note. Surgery. 2025;181:109169.
- Kumpf V, Yeh DD. Use of parenteral nutrition in patients with an enterocutaneous fistula. Nutr Clin Pract. 2025;40(1):64-75.
- Huston JM, Barie PS, Pieracci FM, et al. The Surgical Infection Society guidelines on the management of intra-abdominal infection: 2024 update. Surg Infect. 2024;25:419.
- Farrell M, Alseidi A, Byerly S, et al., Yeh DD, Gelbard RB. A core outcome set for acute necrotizing pancreatitis: an Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma modified Delphi method consensus study. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2024;96(6):965-970.
- Butts CA, Byerly S, Nahmias J, et al., Yeh DD. A core outcome set for appendicitis: a consensus approach utilizing modified Delphi methodology. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2024;96(3):487-492.
- Wikiel K, McConell B, Bollinger D, et al., Morton AP, Pieracci FM, Jones EL. Endoluminal wound vacuum therapy for gastrointestinal leaks: current state and future directions. Ann Laparosc Endosc Surg. 2023.
- Stuart CM, Huey MG, Ghincea CV, Pieracci FM, Brooke M. Mirizzi syndrome complicated by type IV cholecystobiliary fistula to the right hepatic duct. J Minim Invasive Surg. 2023;26(1):35-39.
- Thompson L, Cohen BL, Wolde T, Yeh DD, et al. Open versus laparoscopic appendectomy: a post hoc analysis of the EAST Appendicitis MUSTANG study. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2023;24(7):613-618.
- Chammas M, Jawad KA, Pust GD, et al., Yeh DD. The association between fecal contamination and outcomes after emergent colorectal resection: a post hoc analysis of an EAST multicenter study. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2023;24(6):561-565.
