Intestinal Failure

Contact the Intestinal Rehabilitation Program

What is intestinal failure?

Intestinal failure means your child’s cannot absorb enough water and nutrients from food for your child to grow and develop well.

What causes intestinal failure?

Typically, the small intestine absorbs most of the water and nutrients in the foods we eat.

Sometimes, the small intestine does not work well because of a condition, an injury or a disease or because a piece of it has been removed to treat a problem like gastroschisis. In these cases, a child may not have enough working small intestine to absorb the nutrition they need.

Many diseases and conditions can lead to intestinal failure in children.

The most common cause is short bowel syndrome (SBS). Children with SBS have had part of their small intestine removed in surgery to treat an injury, a disease or another intestinal problem. The severity of your child’s SBS depends on how much of their small intestine still works.

Can treatment make the intestine work again?

There are treatments that may help restore the intestine’s function, such as a process called intestinal rehabilitation. Some children need an intestine transplant. But advances in intestinal rehabilitation have greatly reduced the need for transplants.

Intestinal Rehabilitation at Seattle Children's

Seattle Children’s has the only program in the Pacific Northwest that brings together a team of specialists to restore intestinal function in children who have intestinal failure.

What are the symptoms of intestinal failure?

Some symptoms linked with intestinal failure include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Bloating
  • Vomiting
  • Not growing as expected (failure to thrive)
  • Poor absorption of nutrients

How is intestinal failure diagnosed?

Several intestinal diseases or conditions can lead to intestinal failure. How doctors diagnose these problems depends on the condition. Some problems that can lead to intestinal failure are:

How is intestinal failure treated?

Seattle Children’s offers a full range of treatment options for intestinal failure.

Total parenteral nutrition (TPN)

Children with intestinal failure cannot absorb nutrients from the food they eat, so they must get nutrition another way. We use total parenteral nutrition (TPN).

TPN is a mixture containing nutrients given directly into your child’s bloodstream. The nutrients go through a tiny tube (catheter) placed in a large vein (intravenously, or by IV). TPN is a long-term or even permanent solution for intestinal failure. The chances of problems due to the need for TPN tend to increase over time. Your child’s team at Seattle Children’s checks for and works to prevent or treat any problems that might happen.

Intestinal rehabilitation

Some children can be slowly taken off TPN with a treatment option called intestinal rehabilitation. With intestinal rehabilitation, healthcare providers help your child’s intestine work better through diet, medicine and surgeries that do not include transplant.

We have greatly reduced the need for intestine transplants using intestinal rehabilitation. Learn more about our Intestinal Rehabilitation Program.

Intestine transplant

If you and your child’s medical team decide an intestine transplant is the best option for your child, our team will support you and your family throughout the process.  

Why choose Seattle Children’s for intestinal failure treatment?

Seattle Children’s has the only Intestinal Rehabilitation Program in the Pacific Northwest. Our team of specialists work together to restore intestinal function without a transplant in children who have intestinal failure. Research shows that multidisciplinary teams like ours make a big difference in reducing the health problems these children face.

  • The experts you need are here

    Danielle Wendel is the director of the Intestinal Rehabilitation Program. She is a pediatric gastroenterologist with a special focus on nutrition and intestinal function in children. Wendel is active in clinical research focusing on infants and young children with intestinal failure.

    Patrick Javid is the surgical director of the Intestinal Rehabilitation Program. He is a pediatric general surgeon with a clinical specialty in intestinal failure and also active in clinical research focusing on pediatric intestinal failure. He performs bowel-tapering and bowel-lengthening surgeries.

  • Our approach improves your child’s quality of life

    We are committed to excellent results. We are always seeking to improve our surgery techniques. We continue to innovate as well with diet and medicines so we can provide the most current treatments and the very best care for your child.

  • Your child and family get support
    • Having a child with a serious illness can be scary. We take time to explain your child’s condition and help you fully understand your treatment options.
    • Our Intestinal Rehabilitation Program includes education and support for you and your child from compassionate experts who understand your family’s needs.
    • We work with many children and families from around the Northwest and beyond. We can help with financial counseling, schooling, housing, transportation, interpreter services and spiritual care. Learn about our services for patients and families.

Research to Improve Quality of Life

Our top research priority is finding ways to avoid the need for transplantation in infants with intestinal failure. We continue to advance treatment for this condition through our research programs. Our doctors and scientists focus on making sure children get the nutrition they need, preventing complications of long-term TPN, improving kids’ quality of life and improving the quality of care.

Contact Us

Contact the Intestinal Rehabilitation Program at 206-987-2521 for an appointment, second opinion or more information.

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Paying for Care

Learn about paying for care at Seattle Children’s, including insurance coverage, billing and financial assistance.

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