Intestinal Rehabilitation Program
Children’s National Medical Center’s multidisciplinary Intestinal Rehabilitation Program provides individualized, comprehensive medical, dietary and surgical treatment for children with intestinal failure. The goal of the program is to improve the long-term survival for children with intestinal failure.
The Intestinal Rehabilitation Program is led by Clarivet Torres, MD, a nationally recognized leader in the management of intestinal rehabilitation. A multidisciplinary team ensures that each child receives the personalized care necessary, in a family-centered environment.
The medical treatment focuses on aggressive dietary management with very precise control of metabolic balance and prompt and effective treatment of complications. Aggressive use of specialized enteral feeding programs by the experienced medical team helps to maintain good nutrition and hydration, which are important factors in long-term survival.
Ongoing parent education and support are also important components of the program. Children’s National’s Intestinal Rehabilitation Program partners with the transplant program at Georgetown University Hospital, allowing patients to seamlessly transition from one program to another in a timely fashion.
The causes of intestinal failure in children are usually grouped into three major categories:
- short bowel syndrome
- neuromuscular diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract, such as total aganglionosis (eg. long-segment Hirschprung disease) or chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction
- congenital diseases of the intestinal epithelium (Microvillus inclusion disease).
Children’s National’s Intestinal Rehabilitation Program partners with the Small Bowel and Liver Transplantation program at Georgetown University to provide optimal care for children needing surgery. - Departments & Programs - Children's National Medical Center
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