Liver Center (Hepatology)

Our Continuum of Care

Many liver conditions can start at birth and continue through childhood. Others may be acquired later in life through an infection or a reaction to a drug. The Liver Center team is structured to provide continuity of care as a child transitions from inpatient to outpatient management and pediatric to adult care, helping ensure the very best outcomes.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Babies in the NICU are paired with one physician team member while they are at the hospital. Once the babies are discharged, the same physician will provide follow-up care on an outpatient basis.

Inpatient Consult Services

Every day, the Liver Center team evaluates children who are in the hospital for other medical reasons, but may show signs of having liver issues. They coordinate inpatient care with the other medical teams, and if necessary, will continue to see the child on an outpatient basis.

Outpatient Clinic

The team of physicians, nurses and dietitians regularly sees children with chronic liver disease and other related issues in the outpatient clinic. Children with liver disease often have challenges with growth and take many types of medications. Staff work closely with families to educate them about their child’s nutritional and medicinal needs.

Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition

As the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic continues, one of the most common issues the Liver Center treats is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The team works closely with health care professionals in the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition to monitor and manage fatty liver disease as children undergo weight reduction treatments. Complications from untreated fatty liver disease can lead to permanent scarring and the need for a liver transplant.

Liver Transplantation

The Liver Transplant Program is a part of a multi-organ transplant center at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Led by Ken Washburn, MD, chief of Abdominal Transplant Surgery, the Liver Transplant Program utilizes a multidisciplinary team of experts including hepatologists, transplant surgeons, nurses, dietitians and social workers.