Endoscopy Expertise at CHOP
Setting Standards in Care and Research at One of the Largest Pediatric Endoscopy Centers
Published on in GI Updates
Published on in GI Updates
Endoscopic procedures by expert hands are crucial in the diagnosis and treatment of children with gastrointestinal, liver, and pancreatic disorders. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has one of the largest pediatric endoscopy centers in North America, performing more than 4,500 endoscopic procedures annually. The center’s staff, including approximately 90 physicians, nurses, technicians, and fellows, provides safe, innovative, and efficient care to patients — from infants to young adults — using common diagnostics such as colonoscopy and complex therapeutic procedures such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
“We pride ourselves on offering the most advanced procedures and technology and maintaining very high safety standards,” says the suite’s director, Petar Mamula, MD, an attending gastroenterologist at CHOP since 2001. “We’re also deeply committed to research to expand the options and improve care for children who undergo diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.”
Here are some factors that help distinguish CHOP’s endoscopy suite, known as the Kohl’s GI Nutrition and Diagnostic Center:
The suite has a unique configuration, with bays for sedation and infusion right across the hall from endoscopy services. It’s a set-up that works well for patients and families, as well as the staff. For example, patients with inflammatory bowel disease visit the same physical space and are served by the same staff whether they are coming in for endoscopy or infliximab infusions. “Our configuration, with sedation, infusions, and endoscopy grouped so closely, came about largely by accident, as the Hospital grew,” Mamula said. “But it’s a happy accident. We’ve found this proximity to be very beneficial to two of the things that are most important in providing the best care — staff communication and our ability to get to know patients and their families.”
Here are a few examples of consultative requests Mamula and team receive from referring physicians:
Categories: Gastroenterology Update Summer 2014