Pediatric

Pediatric Pulmonology

Breathing is an essential part of life. It can be scary to see your child struggling to take a breath and upsetting to see him or her unable to enjoy certain activities because of respiratory issues. At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, we understand your concerns and offer top-notch respiratory care to help your child breathe easily again. Our team provides diagnostic and treatment services for children with respiratory and allergic diseases and disorders. We work closely with you to create a customized plan of care for your child to improve his or her function and quality of life.

Our pediatric pulmonary care team is available for consultations to patients staying at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and at two outpatient locations: the Pediatric Asthma Center in Fresh Meadows and the Pediatric Asthma Clinic at the Jackson Heights Family Health Center.

Your Child's Pulmonary Care Team

Our pediatric pulmonary care team includes a board-certified pulmonologist, a nurse practitioner, child life specialists, community health workers, and social workers who work together to provide care for all aspects of your child’s lung health. We collaborate with other pediatric specialists and team members at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, including those in general pediatrics, gastroenterology (digestive care), neurology (nervous system care), cardiology (heart care), and surgery. Should you need care that is not available at our hospital, we can facilitate a referral to the pediatric subspecialists at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital in Manhattan.

Pediatric Asthma Center

The Pediatric Asthma Center provides comprehensive care for children with asthma from infancy through age 21. We assess your child's symptoms and perform tests necessary to make an accurate diagnosis. We then work with you to develop a care plan tailored to your child’s personal needs and carefully monitor the response to treatment, providing appropriate follow-up and ongoing personalized care. Our services include:

• Asthma treatment according to national guidelines, personalized to your child's individual needs — including the latest biologic therapies.
• Coordination with your child's primary care physician to ensure continuity of care.
• Education about asthma care provided to you by our certified asthma educators.
• Referrals to community resources, such as Community Health Workers, St. Mary’s Home Care Asthma Management Program, local pharmacies, the American Lung Association, and the Asthma Coalition of Queens.
• Evaluation of your child's home environment to assess for asthma triggers.

Other Problems Treated at the Pediatric Asthma Center

In addition to asthma, our pediatric lung care team evaluates patients with:

• Chronic cough
• Noisy breathing, such as stridor or wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Chronic lung disease of prematurity
• Recurrent pneumonia
• Environmental allergies
• Exercise-induced bronchospasm
• Aspiration
• Airway problems, such as tracheobronchomalacia or laryngomalacia
• Congenital lung cysts and other lung birth defects
• Poor airway clearance with muscle weakness (hypotonia)
• Bronchiectasis
• Obstructive sleep apnea, with referrals for sleep studies, if needed

Respiratory Therapy

The pediatric pulmonary care team includes respiratory therapists both in the hospital and in the Pediatric Asthma Center. These specially trained professionals help children of all ages who are experiencing breathing problems due to asthma or other conditions. The goal is to minimize respiratory distress or failure with the use of various therapeutic modalities and diagnostic tests performed by the Respiratory Therapist under a Physicians order. Services include:

• Administration and assessment of the use of aerosolized medications for relief of bronchospasm and airway inflammation.
• BIPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure), high flow nasal cannula, and other therapies for children on the inpatient unit in need of breathing support.
• Respiratory support for newborns in the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
• Prompt treatment for children who come into the Pediatric Emergency Department or are admitted to the Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit and are experiencing breathing difficulties.
• Education about asthma self-management.
• Pulmonary function testing in our Pulmonary Function Lab for children, including spirometry, airway hyper-responsiveness testing, lung volumes, diffusing capacity, and exercise testing.