Innovation improving the quality of life

Working in partnership with families, physicians

For most patients with short bowel syndrome, quality of life is poor because they depend completely on total parenteral nutrition (TPN), a method of providing nutrition intravenously by bypassing the gastrointestinal tract.

For children who suffer from short bowel syndrome, something as simple and quintessentially childlike as eating an ice cream cone is impossible. Adults, too, cannot enjoy any significant oral food intake. Life-threatening complications include bacterial infections, recurrent catheter infections, lack of vascular access and liver damage. An intestinal or bowel transplant may offer patients with short bowel syndrome and life-threatening TPN complications their best opportunity for a normal life.

At University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview and University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview, our team of gastrointestinal and transplant experts knows how to work with adult and pediatric patients to provide the highest quality treatment to help ensure the best possible outcome after intestinal/bowel transplantation.

Our expert medical team understands the special needs of patients on TPN and their families. Gastro-enterologists, transplant surgeons, hepatologists, nutritionists, nurses, social workers, transplant coordinators, and other health care professionals work with patients to address their physical and emotional needs prior to and following transplant surgery. The patient’s family is also recognized as playing a vital role in the pre- and post-transplant experience, and family members are encouraged to actively participate in the recovery process. In addition, our team works with patients and families prior to surgery to make sure that all questions are answered.

We are committed to working with each patient’s primary care physician to ensure the best possible care and outcome. Patients are followed by their primary physician for general care, with the transplant team sharing information as it becomes available. We believe that communication between the primary care physician and our transplant team is an important part of optimal patient care.