What is Pediatric Intestinal Failure? An ERNICA animation for parents and families

This animation aims to provide you with more information about intestinal failure in children, which is also known as pediatric intestinal failure. The small intestine is a muscular tube connecting the stomach and a part of the large intestine called the colon. When you eat, food enters and passes through your stomach into the small intestine. The primary function of the small intestine is to absorb nutrients from the food into the bloodstream for adequate growth and development. The food passes through the small intestine into the large intestine. The primary function of the large intestine is to absorb fluid from the food into the bloodstream. This promotes adequate hydration and the absorption of electrolytes, which are minerals essential for bodily functioning. Some children are not able to absorb nutrients and or fluids sufficiently through their intestines. This is called intestinal failure, and it is a rare condition. There are 3 main causes of intestinal failure in children. It may occur as part of short bowel syndrome, which is most often caused by a surgical reduction in the length of the small intestine. This surgical reduction may be required for some children in order to treat other conditions, such as necrotizing enterocolitis. In other cases, intestinal failure in children arises as a result of a congenital disease of cells in the intestines, such as microvillous inclusion disease. It may also be caused by a neuromuscular intestinal disease, such as pediatric intestinal pseudo-obstruction syndrome. As your child with intestinal failure is not able to absorb nutrients and or fluids sufficiently through their intestines, they require long-term intravenous nutrition, which is nutrition and fluid administered through a vein. This method of administration is called parenteral nutrition. Bypassing the need for intestinal absorption supports your child with intestinal failure to obtain vital nutrients. For most patients, parenteral nutrition can be administered at home. Following diagnosis, treatment focuses on providing support with parenteral nutrition to promote adequate growth, identifying any complications or difficulties, and preventing hospitalization. Your child with intestinal failure should be treated at a specialist center by a dedicated team of different clinical professionals. This team is often called a multidisciplinary team, or MDT. Follow-up care is required for children with intestinal failure, and identifying any complications or difficulties early is very important. Peer support can be accessed through patient and family support groups.