Full-Service Care Team Devoted Entirely to Treating Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas that occurs when enzymes in the pancreas build up and begin to digest the organ itself. The Pancreatitis Care Program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center is the first of its kind: a full-service care team devoted entirely to treating and managing acute and chronic pancreatitis. Pancreatitis can become severe and therefore requires a team of experts to diagnose it accurately and treat it successfully. Our team brings medical experts from several different areas together to develop a comprehensive treatment plan for each patient.
Pancreatitis can occur as acute, painful attacks lasting a matter of days, or it may be a chronic condition that progresses over several years. It can be very painful and even life-threatening. The multidisciplinary Pancreatitis Care team meets with you to discuss your symptoms and how they affect your life. They assemble a plan of care designed to relieve your discomfort and treat your pancreatitis. We offer in-hospital support, surgery-free therapies, and long-term treatment regimens to reduce inflammation and pain and restore your quality of life.
How you can benefit from the Pancreatitis Care Program
- Receive all the care you need through one center
- One-on-one communication and attention to your personal goals and preferences.
- Get personalized treatments to help reduce or eliminate the pain, nausea, vomiting, and other discomforts of pancreatitis, tailored to your symptoms and the severity of your illness.
- Gain back lost weight.
- Have a better quality of life and enhanced well-being.
- Receive support from other people living with pancreatitis through a monthly Pancreatitis Support Group.
How does the program work?
All of the services you need are available to you through one program:
A multidisciplinary team that includes gastroenterologists, surgeons, interventional endoscopists, radiologists, nurses, registered dietitians, and others with the experience and compassion to care for people with pancreatitis. The team has a deep understanding of the disease and what is achievable for each patient.
A full range of diagnostic tools to accurately pinpoint the cause of your symptoms, including pancreatic function testing and advanced interventional endoscopic exams.
Genetic testing and counseling for people with an inherited risk of pancreatitis, along with follow-up care based on the test results.
Access to nonsurgical treatments such as intravenous hydration and nutritional support, interventional endoscopic treatments performed without external incisions to relieve obstructions and the causes of pain, and medications, and local anesthesia techniques (such as nerve blocks and implanted medication pumps) to relieve the pain of chronic pancreatitis.
When nonsurgical methods fail to provide relief, surgery may be considered. The type of surgery is tailored to the individual patient. All surgical procedures for chronic pancreatitis are offered, including total pancreatectomy with autologous islet cell transplantation (TPAIT). TPAIT may be an option when the entire pancreas needs to be remove. In this procedure, once the pancreas is removed, the insulin-producing islet cells are extracted and reimplanted into the liver, where they will hopefully produce insulin.
Access to clinical trials for innovative treatments for pancreatitis. Your care provider will assess your candidacy for any available clinical trials and discuss them with you.
Is this program right for me?
Pancreatitis is a complex disease that is frequently mismanaged. Consulting the most experienced experts early in the course of your illness is crucial to achieving the greatest benefits of treatment. If you are living with the pain and discomfort of acute or chronic pancreatitis, contact the Pancreatitis Care Program at 212-305-4795 today to make an appointment.