Maria Sacras

Biographical summary

Maria Luís Sacras — Paediatric Surgeon in Lisbon

In-person consultations in Lisbon · online consultations from Porto and across Europe · Portuguese, English, Spanish

Dr. Maria Luís Sacras is a paediatric surgeon specializing in general and emergency surgery in children. She treats patients from birth to 18 years of age. Her practice covers outpatient surgical consultations, minor surgical procedures, scheduled operations, and diagnostic assessment of conditions that may require surgical management.

Important for parents who are currently looking for a "paediatric urologist": a number of common childhood conditions — inguinal and umbilical hernias, phimosis and circumcision needs, undescended testicles (cryptorchidism), hydrocele, varicocele, and pilonidal sinus in adolescents — fall within the scope of paediatric surgery, not urology. This is a frequent misconception: "if it involves the groin or genitals, it must be a urologist," but in fact these conditions are operated on by paediatric surgeons worldwide. Dr. Sacras manages these cases on a daily basis.

About the Doctor

Dr. Sacras is a paediatric surgeon with a six-year residency at a specialized centre for paediatric surgery and an active surgical practice. Alongside her clinical work, she runs a public educational page for parents on Instagram (cirurgiaparacriancas), where she explains in accessible terms when a child needs a paediatric surgeon and what to expect from an operation.

Her approach to young patients is calm and unhurried, with awareness that a surgical consultation is often stressful for both the child and the family. Dr. Sacras first talks, shows, and explains — and only then examines. She explains to parents everything they need to know before and after surgery, and answers questions with substance.

From 2016 to 2018, she participated in international humanitarian surgical missions in Mozambique with the American non-profit Mending Kids, led by Dr. David Kulber (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles). In 2018, she worked for two months in the paediatric surgery department of the Central Hospital of Maputo. Since 2023, she has been coordinator for residents from Portuguese-speaking countries and mentor to residents from São Tomé and Príncipe.

Education and Training

Dr. Sacras graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon (Mestrado em Medicina, 2006–2012). From 2016 to 2022, she completed a full residency in paediatric surgery at Hospital de Dona Estefânia (Lisbon), with mandatory rotations in adult general surgery, paediatrics, neonatal and paediatric intensive care, general paediatric surgery, paediatric plastic surgery, and paediatric urology.

From 2022 to 2024, she worked as a paediatric surgeon at Hospital de Dona Estefânia and CUF Almada. Since 2024, she has been practising as a paediatric surgeon at Hospital dos Lusíadas (Lisbon) and Unidade Local de Saúde da Arrábida.

She has completed specialized international training: laparoscopy in newborns and infants at IRCAD (Strasbourg, France); advanced minimally invasive paediatric surgery at Aesculap Academy (Berlin); surgical treatment of colorectal problems in children (Pena Course, Children's Hospital Colorado); initial paediatric trauma care at Hospital La Paz (Madrid). Certified Basic Life Support Instructor, International Trauma Life Support certification, and advanced life support for the burned patient.

Author of seven peer-reviewed scientific publications, including as first author on neonatal acute compartment syndrome, congenital adhesion bands causing neonatal intestinal obstruction, and colorectal complications following haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Co-author on major international COVIDSurg studies published in the British Journal of Surgery and Anaesthesia.

Common Reasons Patients See Dr. Sacras

Hernias in children — inguinal, umbilical, epigastric: assessment, monitoring, surgical management
Phimosis and circumcision — assessment of indication, conservative treatment of phimosis, circumcision for medical or family reasons
Cryptorchidism (undescended testicle) — assessment, monitoring, orchidopexy
Hydrocele and varicocele in boys and adolescents
Pilonidal sinus in adolescents, including modern laser treatment technique, which Dr. Sacras helped introduce at Hospital de Dona Estefânia
Removal of moles, warts, and other skin lesions in children
Surgical aspects of paediatric check-ups — assessing conditions that may require surgical management
Acute surgical conditions in children — assessment, care coordination, and hospital referral when needed
Second opinions on surgical diagnoses and proposed operations
Postoperative follow-up of children who underwent surgery at other clinics

Surgical Procedures

Dr. Sacras performs surgery for her UMC patients in the operating rooms of partner clinics. If your child is followed at UMC and requires a surgical procedure, Dr. Sacras manages the case from the initial consultation through postoperative follow-up — without needing to find a surgeon at another clinic, transfer documents, or rebuild the medical history from scratch.

The list of procedures and their costs is available on request through the clinic reception: each operation is priced individually based on complexity, type of anaesthesia, and length of stay.

Working Together with Other Doctors at the Clinic

Dr. Sacras works closely with UMC's paediatricians and urologist. This means:

If a UMC paediatrician identifies a condition during a visit that requires surgical assessment, the child is referred to Dr. Sacras directly — saving time and sparing the family the task of finding a specialist on their own
If the UMC urologist identifies a condition that falls within the scope of paediatric surgery, the patient is also referred to Dr. Sacras
Conversely, if during her surgical consultation Dr. Sacras identifies that the child needs a paediatrician or urologist, she refers within the clinic, with no information lost between visits

This shortens the path to the right diagnosis and prevents families from being shuffled between specialists.

How to Book an Appointment

Dr. Sacras sees patients at the UMC Lisbon clinic and offers online consultations from Porto and any other location. Appointments are available with or without health insurance, with or without a referral.

You can book an appointment in any of the following ways:

Through the online booking form on umc.clinic
Via the website chat
On WhatsApp
Through the Telegram bot @umcl_bot
By phone — we're always available and speak your language