Pediatric GI Specialist | Wake Pediatric Gastroenterology

Digestive Care for Children and Young Adults

What is Pediatric Gastroenterology

Pediatric Gastroenterology (or Pediatric GI or Peds GI) is a medical specialty dedicated to the care of children with digestive and nutritional problems. This includes conditions of the esophagus (food pipe), stomach, intestines, colon, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas in children. Many GI conditions are long term and some are life long.

A Pediatric Gastroenterologist (Kids GI doctor) is a specialist or expert in taking care of GI conditions in children (0-18 years of age). A Pediatric Gastroenterologist can provide consults on gastrointestinal, nutritional and liver problems as well as perform an extensive range of GI procedures, to provide care for children with GI conditions.

Although many GI conditions are self-limiting, when GI conditions last for a longer duration, consultation with a GI specialist should be considered.

Typically if your child's GI symptoms have lasted for more than 2 weeks, you should consider visiting a children's gastro specialist.

OUR GOAL:

As the ONLY private pediatric gastroenterology practice in the Wake and surrounding counties, our goal is to provide a compassionate, high-quality, cost-effective and family-centered care to children

At Wake Pediatric GI we can diagnose and treat all aspects of digestive issues impacting children from birth to 18 years. We are focused on providing families with the information they need to help them make an informed choice about their loved one’s care. It is our goal to ensure that every parent or guardian understands their child’s condition and the treatment options available.

Common GI complaints in children include:

Stomach (abdominal) pain
A food allergy or intolerance
Vomiting
Constipation
Acid reflux
Diarrhea
Trouble swallowing food
Poor weight gain or poor oral intake or weight loss
Bleeding from the GI system - blood in vomiting or blood in the stool
Abnormal GI test results/ investigations
And, many more...

OUR SERVICES

Office Consults

Procedures

Conditions We Treat

When your child has stomach complaints such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation or other digestive issues, you want the very best pediatric specialist caring for them. Our practice is dedicated to providing personal, family-centered care to each child who comes to our office. Dr. Kunde, at Wake Pediatric Gastroenterology, can diagnose and treat all aspect of digestive issues impacting children from birth to 18 years.

Dr. Kunde is committed to helping you to accurately diagnose and treat your child. Conditions we treat include (but are not limited to):

Allergic GI Disorders – Food allergies causing GI conditions (such as Eosinophilic Esophagitis – EoE or EE)
Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Recurrent Clostridium Difficile (C. difficile or C-Diff ) Infection
Abdominal (stomach) Pain
Failure to thrive, loss of weight, poor weight gain
Diarrhea
Constipation and Encopresis (stool accidents or leaking)
Vomiting
Gastrointestinal Bleeding
Blood in Stool
Liver Diseases, Abnormal Liver Enzymes, Jaundice
Gallbladder Diseases
Pancreatitis
Reflux (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease – GERD or acid reflux)
Difficulty Swallowing (dysphagia)
Esophagitis – inflammation of food pipe or esophagus
Lactose Intolerance
Intestinal Polyps
H. Pylori Infection
Celiac Disease and other Gluten-Related Disorders
Malabsorption
Stomach Ulcers
Short Bowel or Short Gut Syndrome
Gastrointestinal Manifestations of Cystic Fibrosis
Gastroparesis
Abdominal Migraine
Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome

Dietitian Services

We offer comprehensive dietary support to our families. We collaborate with pediatric trained registered dietitians from Healthy Diets Inc. Dr. Kunde works closely with their team and has trained these dietitians for specific pediatric GI conditions.

Procedures offered

Children with gastrointestinal conditions may need some of the following procedures

Endoscopies: Endoscopy means a visual examination of GI system using a flexible fiberoptic camera, while the patient is sedated. This also includes a collection of biopsies (tiny tissue samples) to examine under a microscope.
- Upper endoscopy or EGD (Esophago-Gastro-Duodenoscopy) – examination of upper GI tract
- Colonoscopy – examination of the lower GI tract
Wireless video capsule endoscopy for the assessment of deep small bowel diseases

Procedure locations:

RMG Gastroenterology - Wake Endoscopy Center

2601 Lake Dr, Ste 201

Raleigh, NC 27607

RMG Gastroenterology - Clayton Endoscopy Center

900 S Lombard St #106,

Clayton, NC 27520

UNC Children's Hospital

101 Manning Dr

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

UNC Johnston Health

509 N Brightleaf Blvd,

Smithfield, NC 27577

Infusion Service

Infusion service is offered in an outpatient setting. This is for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis) requiring I.V. biologic medications.

Our infusion center is highly cost-effective (compared to performing infusions at a hospital) as there are no hospital facility charges associated with our infusion service.

Hospital Care

Dr. Kunde works closely with physicians at WakeMed and UNC Hospital if children need another pediatric specialist. We coordinate the care with WakeMed as well as UNC hospital systems for patients who need hospital admissions or emergency care.

A Message From Dr. K

Sachin Kunde, MD, MPH

Pediatric Gastroenterologist

Board Certified

"Dear Parents,

I am a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist and have been taking care of children with digestive issues since 2008. Most recently I served as the Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, NC. Although academic medicine and research were exciting, I soon realized that patient care is where my passion lies and helping children and their families provide me the greatest satisfaction.

During these years of clinical experience, I realized that

Pediatric gastroenterologists are high in demand but their availability is only limited to hospitals
There is a high healthcare cost associated with hospitals, gastrointestinal investigations, and procedures
And most of the GI conditions can be managed in an office setting without going to hospitals

Therefore I decided to start private practice to provide exceptional, affordable and convenient GI care to children without going to the hospitals. My goal is to be a dedicated adviser for the digestive health of children – so you can make the best decisions for your child."

- Sachin Kunde, MD, MPH

PREVIOUS POSITIONS

Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology - WakeMed Health and Hospitals, Raleigh, NC
Pediatric Gastroenterologist - Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, MI
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics - Michigan State University

BOARD CERTIFICATION

American Board of Pediatrics – Pediatric Gastroenterology (2011)
American Board of Pediatrics – General Pediatrics (2009)

CLINICAL INTERESTS

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis)
Food allergies related to the GI system (such as eosinophilic esophagitis or celiac disease)
Endoscopic procedures

EDUCATION

Fellowship in Pediatric GI – Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA [2008-2011]
Residency in Pediatrics – Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI [2005-2008]
Masters in Public Health – University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL [2002-2005]
Medical School – University of Mumbai, India [1996-2002]