The department of Pediatrics includes the branches of allergy-immunology, endocrinology, infectious diseases, gastroenterology, pulmonary medicine, hematology-oncology, cardiology, nephrology, rheumatology, neurology and neonatal/pediatric intensive care. Numerous kidney transplantation operations have also been successfully performed at the department within the scope of the ‘pediatric kidney and liver transplantation program’, which was launched in the year 2018. We are planning to introduce the stem cell transplantation procedure at our hospital in the near future as well.
Having taken the first steps towards becoming a Children’s Hospital, our department currently serves with a polyclinic ward of 24 beds, a pediatric ward of 24 beds, a neonatal intensive care ward capable of taking care of 15 babies, and a pediatric intensive care unit of 16 beds.
The Koç University Pediatric Hospital is among the national reference centers with a specialized team experienced in all relevant branches associated with pediatrics. Some of the treatment methods and practices requiring advanced technological infrastructure and experience, and special programs of our hospital include the following:
Practices and Treatment Methods of Pediatrics
Practices specific to allergic diseases
Approximately 300 different specific IgE and component-specific IgE antibody measurements are conducted at our department for diagnosis of allergic diseases. Skin tests are performed to detect allergy to pollen, house mites, cat, dog, horse, fungi, cockroach, latex, honey bee, wasp and numerous foods. Eligible patients are given immunotherapy in the form of a vaccine on the arm or sublingual medication. In order to diagnose food allergies and find out whether or not reaction to specific foods is ongoing, food provocation (loading) tests are performed as well. Food immunotherapy is conducted by using baked foods for children allergic to cow’s milk and eggs. Drug allergies are detected by means of skin tests and drug provocation tests involving penicillin, anesthetics and painkillers. Asthma and other respiratory tract diseases are diagnosed and followed at the respiratory function test lab, where spirometry and plethysmography tests are available. Children younger than 5 years of age are tested for respiratory function using impulse oscillometer. If necessary, an allergy specialist, dietitian, psychiatrist and psychologist support the process of following allergic diseases.
Programs tailored for nutrition of children diagnosed with a disease
Our department offers consultancy services to patients and their parents in terms of nutrition in pediatric and adolescent diseases and disorders of mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, liver, gallbladder and pancreas. Physicians of the department evaluate healthy and diagnosed children for growth and nutrition as well.
Endoscopic examinations
Endoscopic examination [endoscopy, colonoscopy, sclerotherapy, band ligation, balloon dilatation, POEM (peroral endoscopic myomectomy), gastrostomy, polypectomy, capsule endoscopy], liver biopsy, motility studies (esophageal pH, esophageal impedance, esophageal manometry, rectal-anal manometry), endo-ultrasonography and FibroScan procedures are available at our hospital for all age groups for diagnostic and treatment purposes.
Polyclinic for liver diseases
A polyclinic for pediatric liver diseases serves patients as part of our department. In addition to diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases, infants, children and also adolescents are evaluated as candidate liver transplantation recipients. Children with chronic or acute liver diseases of known or unknown etiology are followed and treated prior to and after transplantation. Transplantations from live or deceased donors are performed in our program. Although reaching a body weight of ten kilograms used to be recommended for infants in the past, this is no longer a requirement. It is now possible at our transplantation center to surgically resize the organ fragment to be transplanted to fit the receiving child’s body size.
Advanced investigations in pulmonary diseases
Our department of pulmonary medicine is able to perform flexible bronchoscopy in patients of all age groups starting from neonatal period. Respiratory functions can be evaluated by means of spirometer and impulse oscillometer among children older than 6 and by use of impulse oscillometer among preschool children.
Advanced treatment practices in renal diseases and urology
Dialysis support is offered at the department for children of all ages with renal diseases. Kidney transplantation can be performed on eligible patients in need starting from very early ages. Currently, a polyclinic for pediatric renal calculus patients is also being established. Our pediatric surgery and urology teams regularly hold council meetings to review congenital urological abnormalities. Cases of urinary incontinence are addressed by pediatric surgery/urology and psychiatry within the framework of a holistic approach.
HACP Program (Holistic Approach for Children and Parents)
Hospital experience may be challenging not only for children themselves, but also for their parents. In order to support children and parents better, the Department of Pediatrics of Koç University Hospital has established the ‘Holistic Approach for Children and Parents’ program. Led by psychologist Aslıhan Özcan Morey, HACP has been designed to assist children visiting our hospital and their parents in various challenges they may stumble upon and in terms of coping with situations such as disease or physical injury. As part of this program, our team, which is specialized in pediatric development and medical procedures, utilizes Expressionist Art Therapy and Play Therapy. The program aims to relieve the stress resulting from diagnostic and treatment processes, transform children and parents’ hospital experience into a positive one, and prevent possible impacts of chronic diseases, injury and physical obstacles on children’s development. Diagnosis and treatment-oriented hospital games, expressionist art therapy for emotional issues, activities by volunteering students and adults from outside the hospital and MNE-supported classroom activities are carried out under the HACP program. All of these endeavors enhance children’s quality of life in the hospital setting and facilitate their adaptation to life after discharge.
Happy Child, Happy Parents
The hospital experience may prove to be challenging not only for children, but also their parents during the course of diagnosis and treatment. As an effort that will likely set the path forward in Turkey in this regard, we have established the
Happy Child, Happy Parents Program in order to provide better support to children and their parents here at the Pediatrics Department of Koç University Hospital. Inspired by our title of “Baby-friendly Hospital”, this program aims to add also the title of child-friendly to our hospital. The program has been designed so as to assist children and parents visiting our hospital in terms of coping with various challenges, conditions or situations such as physical injury. Within this framework, treatments and services available at our hospital are offered by means of a complementary and child-oriented approach. Our team specializes in pediatric development and medical procedures, and utilizes methods such as expressive art therapy and play therapy for the purposes of easing the burden of stress associated with diagnosis and treatment, positively transforming the hospital experience of children and parents and preventing potential impacts of chronic disease, injury or physical hindrances on development of children.
The
Happy Child, Happy Parents Program includes diagnostic and treatment-oriented hospital plays, expressive art therapies focusing on emotional issues, voluntary activities provided by students and adults from outside the hospital and hospital classroom activities supported by the Ministry of National Education. These efforts improve children’s quality of life in the hospital setting and also facilitate their adaptation to the life after hospital.
Service Subcategories of the Pediatrics Department