Care transition from a pediatric intestinal rehabilitation program to adult care and the risk of all-cause mortality: A retrospective cohort study

Advances in medicine have dramatically improved survival rates for children with intestinal failure. Yet the moment they age out of pediatric care may represent one of the most dangerous transitions of their lives. Hi, I'm Dr. Julian Goddard from Cincinnati Children's. Our intestinal rehabilitation team tracked 46 patients who turned 20 to see what happened when they transitioned their medical care to adult healthcare centers or continued care at our pediatric institution. 59% of patients transitioned to adult focused programs while the rest continued receiving care at Cincinnati Children's. Strikingly, patients who transitioned to adult care had a significantly higher mortality rate, 33% compared to just 5% among those who stayed, despite showing no obvious differences in medical complexity or disease burden. Even more concerning, the median time from transition to death was only about 12 months. Until structured transition programs are developed and widely implemented, young adults with a history of intestinal failure, aging out of pediatric care remain a critically vulnerable population in need of greater attention and support. Stay tuned and subscribe for more articles you should know about.