VCU news

By Sathya Achia Abraham

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center has launched the Digestive Health Center, a one-stop inpatient center that brings together clinical expertise, new diagnostic technologies and specialized services for patients hospitalized for digestive conditions.

The inpatient digestive health center – the only one within a 50 mile radius of Richmond - is an integrated service that combines the specialties of gastroenterology, hepatology, surgery, pathology, radiology and nutritional services all in one place. Faculty at the center also draw on the strengths of other departments such as pediatrics, oncology and obstetrics and gynecology.

“In most hospitals, patients with digestive illnesses are admitted to a general inpatient service. In contrast, VCU has consolidated its considerable institutional expertise and specialized services to offer a more efficient care for our patients and to treat digestive conditions such as Crohn’s disease as a team,” said Stephen Bickston, M.D., associate chair of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center.

According to Bickston, this model of care has been recognized as a best practice and can decrease the amount of time patients spend in the hospital because patients receive care from a team of experts in their specific condition.

“Analyses from benchmark organizations, such as Solucient and the University HealthSystem Consortium, have shown decreased mortality from digestive problems when this model was used in other academic hospitals,” said Bickston.

The center offers advanced technologies that allow clinicians to diagnose and treat patients with bleeding from their digestive tract, pancreatitis, gall stones, Crohn’s disease, liver disease and malnutrition. For example, the center offers virtual colonoscopy – a non-invasive look at the colon, and double balloon enterography – a scope that allows clinicians to examine the small intestine beyond the reach of ordinary scopes. Additionally, its surgical team offers a spectrum of minimally invasive alternatives to older approaches.

“We are able to offer a high level of care to our patients because many of the faculty serving at the center are leaders in the field and have contributed their expertise and knowledge to helping set the standard of care,” said Arun Sanyal, M.D., chair of the Division of Gastronterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

“Research performed by our faculty in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition has resulted in advances in the care of many gastrointestinal disorders,” said Sanyal.  

Twelve VCU School of Medicine and School of Nursing faculty, including Bickston, have been involved with The Cochrane Collaboration, an international consortium of about 20,000 volunteer scientists and physicians who study the effectiveness of different treatments and help to improve healthcare globally. Bickston has authored reviews for the collaboration.

The VCU Medical Center has a well-respected expertise in all aspects of liver disease and intestinal smooth muscle biology. Twenty adult and pediatric gastroenterologists work in collaboration with specialists in gastrointestinal pathology, radiology, oncology and surgery to provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art medical care to patients with digestive disorders.