Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can greatly affect a child's quality of life. At Arkansas Children's, patients with this condition receive high-quality, collaborative care that surpasses national standards from infancy through adolescence, allowing them to live life to the fullest.
"We are very focused on providing individual care to every patient we see," said Jessica Carnathan, A.P.R.N., M.S.N., gastroenterology nurse practitioner at Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) and faculty member at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. "We are fortunate to have a dedicated multidisciplinary team to assist in the care of all of our patients."
The specialists on the IBD team at ACH serve children with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The multidisciplinary team includes gastroenterologists, nutritionists, a psychologist and social workers. All providers are available during clinics to ensure a smooth experience for each patient and family.
"If the patient has an additional need during a clinic, such as to consult a dietitian, that expert will see the patient immediately after the gastroenterology provider," said Laura Buse, clinical operations manager at ACH. "At the end of the clinic, providers debrief to make sure all the patient's needs are being met. They also discuss any new medications or other treatments and how to facilitate them for the family."
Members of the IBD team consult multiple specialists throughout the patient’s care.
"Our IBD team works closely with the surgical team and collaborates to develop the most appropriate combination of medical and surgical treatment for each child," Carnathan said. "Our approach to surgical intervention is proactive when needed, but we treat patients in a very individualized way to ensure we have the best possible outcome."
This approach ensures that patients only receive surgery when medical management and dietary measures don’t yield the desired outcomes, reducing the number of children with IBD who require bowel resection or ostomy.
The IBD team at ACH uses advanced methods to diagnose and treat patients quickly and effectively. For example, to diagnose Crohn's disease, the team specializes in capsule endoscopy, which begins with the patient swallowing a pill that contains a miniature camera. The camera records images of the internal gastrointestinal tract as it moves through the body. This technology facilitates the diagnosis of Crohn's disease in the small bowel, where the condition can fail to be detected using traditional endoscopy techniques. The team also offers sedated MRIs to help children relax and remain still enough for technicians to obtain clear diagnostic imaging.
Following diagnosis, the IBD team collaborates further to determine the best treatment for that patient, including biologics for moderate to severe Crohn’s disease, new medications and clinical trials when indicated.
"We are very comfortable with the newer classes of therapies to treat IBD," Carnathan said. "Recently, we started using more dietary therapies, mostly in conjunction with medical therapy, but also as monotherapy when the appropriate patients and families are interested in this approach."
Since 2018, the IBD program has tripled in size, now serving approximately 320 patients, with outcomes that exceed national averages:
In addition, 97.4% of all IBD patients at Arkansas Children’s Hospital are in steroid-free remission.
These IBD program patient outcomes demonstrate the team's commitment to prompt diagnosis and innovative, individualized therapies. The team is dedicated to advancing treatment and improving children's lives through research and clinical trials.