Gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition

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Children, youth and families Healthcare providers

About the Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Clinic

CHEO’s gastroenterology and hepatology clinic provides assessment and consultations for children and youth with conditions related organs in the digestive tract, including:

esophagus

stomach

small intestine

colon

pancreas

liver

Children and youth referred to this clinic typically have:

swallowing problems

bleeding from the intestinal tract

abdominal pain

difficulties with gaining adequate weight or losing weight

vomiting

diarrhea

jaundice

enlarged liver

inflammation of any of the above organs

About our team

Our team includes 5 physicians, 5 nurses, one social worker, 2 dietitians and a research assistant.

Information for children, youth and families

Before your appointment

Please sign up for a MyChart account, prior to your first visit.

Our scheduling team will contact you by phone to schedule an appointment.

Missed Appointments & Late Cancellations
CHEO is committed to providing timely care for children, youth, and families. If this is your first appointment in a clinic or department and you miss two appointments without giving at least 48 hours’ notice, your referral will be returned to the care provider who submitted it. They can then follow up with you to confirm whether you still need or wish to proceed with the referral.

We understand life happens and unforeseen events come up. Please notify us as early as possible by calling 613-737-7600 x2222 — ideally at least 48 hours in advance — if you need to cancel or reschedule. This helps us offer the appointment to another family and keep wait times as short as possible. A cancellation 48 hours or more in advance will not count as a missed appointment.

Frequently asked questions

How can I make an appointment?

All patients must be referred by a Physician or Nurse Practitioner. After a referral is received, we will notify the referring Physician or Nurse Practitioner whether the referral has been accepted or denied, and if accepted we will provide an estimated wait time. This wait time can vary based on demand and urgency. Once we have an appointment spot to offer, our Scheduling Team will reach you by phone to schedule an appointment.

Who should I contact if I am worried or have questions?

For any emergency, call 911. This includes emergencies involving your child’s Gastroenterology and Hepatology-related concerns.

For patients who are being followed by the Gastroenterology or Hepatology Clinic: For patients who have seen a CHEO Gastroenterology or Hepatology Provider, call your Nurse Case Manager or send a direct message to them through MyChart. This is not for urgent calls. Our nurses are here to give support, education and will work to coordinate your child’s care. It may take 3-5 days for us to get back to you (and sometimes longer during holidays). We will return the most serious calls first. Please avoid leaving multiple messages for the same issue.

For patients who are waiting for their first visit with the Gastroenterology or Hepatology Clinic: Please do not call the nurses line if you have not yet been seen by a CHEO Gastroenterology or Hepatology Provider. Please call your family doctor, pediatrician or visit your nearest walk-in clinic for everything else.

Sign up for MyChart to access your CHEO health record anywhere, any time.
MyChart is a secure, online patient portal that connects you to parts of your CHEO electronic health record and allows you to send two-way secure communication to your care team, complete any questionnaires your care team sends and much more.
To learn more about MyChart and sign up, visit our MyChart page and fill out the MyChart Access Request Form.

Looking for more resources or supports on gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition?

Visit the CHEO Research institute’s website for latest news on IBD-related research.

Donate now

You can help fund important research by donating to our gastroenterology and IBD funds through the CHEO Foundation. When making your donation, please select 'other' and specify either gastroenterology fund or IBD fund.

Need more Information?

Visit our gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition resource and support page to find helpful websites, local contacts, videos and more.

Information for healthcare providers

Make a referral

Our clinic is now accepting e-referrals with Ocean!
If you’re already on Ocean, look us up via your account by searching "CHEO".
If you don’t yet have an Ocean account, no problem - signing up is free.
Make a referral in Ocean

You can make an e-referral using Ocean, or send a referral by mail or fax to our address below.

Referral criteria and eligibility

Referral criteria
Reason for referral	Mandatory information on consult	Timeframe of investigations	Other information
Chronic abdominal pain (>3 month)	Description of symptoms/physical exam Summary of treatment history Pertinent past medical history Medication list Growth charts Blood work (CBC, ESR, CRP, ALT, GGT, lipase, albumin, celiac screen while on gluten)	Within 3 months	Community Pediatrics consult All consults should include the mandatory information Red flags: bloody diarrhea weight loss (5-10%) persistent vomiting fever age <3 years old
Positive celiac antibody	Medical history Family history Current diet Growth chart Tissue transglutaminase, CBC, ferritin	Within 3 months	TTG 2xULN
Chronic diarrhea (>2-4 weeks)	Description of symptoms/physical exam Summary of treatment history Pertinent past medical history Medication list Growth charts Blood work (CBC, ESR, CRP, albumin, celiac screen on gluten) Stool testing (O&P, culture, viral gastroenteritis panel, C. diff)	Within 1 month	Community Pediatrics consult. All consultations should include mandatory information. Red flags: Weight loss (5-10%) Bloody stools Associated extra intestinal manifestations
Constipation	Description of symptoms, stool type (Bristol stool chart) Past medical history (e.g., passage of meconium) Growth chart Summary of medications tried (dose, frequency, duration, response) CBC, celiac screen while on gluten, Ca, TSH	Within 1 month	Community Pediatrics consult Find Constipation management resources here.
Dysphagia	Description of symptoms (e.g. texture of food tolerated, choking, food sticking etc.) Past medical history and family history (e.g., achalasia, EoE) Barium swallow Medications/interventions tried	Within 1 month	Food bolus impaction should be directed to the Emergency department
Failure to Thrive	Description of GI symptoms (if any) Paste medical history Growth chart Current medications and medications tried CBC, ESR, CRP, ferritin, Ca, albumin, celiac screen while on gluten, stool tests (this is all age dependent) Nutritional history/Dietitian’s assessment	Within 1 month	Community Pediatrics consult Community Dietitian consult Feeding difficulty, oral aversion-consider Feeding team
Gastroesophageal Reflux	Description of symptoms (bilious, hematemesis) Presence of complications (aspiration/respiratory, hematemesis, FTT) Past medical history Growth chart Medications and dietary interventions tried (dose, duration)		Community Pediatrics consult
Inflammatory bowel disease (suspected)	Description of symptoms (e.g. diarrhea, blood in stools, abdominal pain, weight loss, perianal disease) Past medical history Family history of IBD/autoimmune conditions Growth chart CBC, ESR, CRP, albumin, ALT, ferritin, stool tests (O&P, stool culture, C. difficile)	Within 1 month
Iron deficiency anemia	Description of GI symptoms (if any) Past medical history CBC, ferritin, iron studies, celiac screen while on gluten, ESR, CRP, H pylori stool antigen Medications tried (dose, duration, response)	Within 1 month	Community Pediatrics consult
Rectal bleeding	Description of symptoms (stool type on Bristol chart, frequency, pain with defecation etc.) Physical exam (e.g. fissures) CBC, ferritin, ESR, CRP, albumin	Within 1 month	Community Pediatrics consult

Contact us

Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, CHEO
401 Smyth Road
Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1

Fax: 613-738-4865 