Pulmonology & Respiratory Care for Children

Pulmonology & Respiratory Care for Children

We often take breathing for granted and don’t really think about our next breath. But anyone can experience breathing difficulties. Whether breathing problems result from asthma, allergies or a less common pulmonary disease such as cystic fibrosis, you need to pay close attention to any signs your child or teen can’t get the oxygen they need and act quickly to get top-quality care for your child or teen.

Comprehensive Pediatric Pulmonology & Respiratory Care

When you trust your child’s respiratory care to Oklahoma Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Pulmonary and Cystic Fibrosis Center in Oklahoma City, you’ll find peace of mind knowing your child or teen receives treatment from board-certified pediatric pulmonologists at Oklahoma’s only referral center accredited by the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

You and your child work with a multidisciplinary team of experts from many healthcare specialties to develop an individualized treatment plan that fits your child’s specific situation. At Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, your child benefits from an accurate diagnosis, expert care management and comprehensive treatment for a wide range of conditions and disorders related to the lungs and respiratory system.

Call for an Appointment or Second Opinion

Ask your doctor for a referral to specialized pediatric pulmonary and respiratory care experts or request an appointment with a pediatric pulmonologist.

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Evaluating Pulmonary Health in Children

Caring for your child’s lungs and breathing capacity starts with a thorough evaluation using the full spectrum of advanced diagnostic technology and techniques at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital’s pediatric pulmonary function testing (PFT) lab. To support an accurate diagnosis, your child may need one or more pulmonary function tests such as:

  • Continuous oximetry – Measures blood oxygen levels continuously; usually conducted overnight at home
  • Diffusion capacity – Tests how well air moves into the bloodstream
  • Exercise testing for respiratory dysfunction induced by physical activity
  • Flexible bronchoscopy – Examines airways in the lungs
  • Lung plethysmography – Measures changes in volume within an organ or whole body, including functional residual capacity (FRC) of lungs, the volume of lungs when relaxed and total lung capacity
  • 6-minute walk test
  • Spirometry – Measures the ability to breathe quickly

Treatment for Pediatric Pulmonary Conditions

At Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, you can count on expert pediatric pulmonologists to treat all childhood respiratory disorders including:

In addition, your child can get an evaluation of pulmonary status/health when receiving chemotherapy.

Care for Children with Asthma

If your child lives with asthma, you and your family need support and the knowledge to recognize, treat and prevent serious asthma attacks. Knowing your child’s asthma triggers, how to keep their lungs healthy through exercise and how to deal with a flare up can significantly improve your child’s quality of life.

Choose the Pediatric Pulmonary and Cystic Fibrosis Center at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital to support you and your child with comprehensive care, including a complete evaluation. In addition, your child receives an individualized Asthma Action Plan for treatment and intervention, along with personalized education by a certified asthma educator (AE-C).

Rely on Oklahoma Children’s Hospital to provide top-quality respiratory care for your child because we follow the latest National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) treatment guidelines developed by a division of the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This group of asthma experts from around the country regularly evaluates the latest asthma research and provides clinical guidance on best diagnosis and treatment methods.

Ventilation Support for Your Child at Home

You can also take advantage of our Pediatric Home Ventilation Support Program of Oklahoma, which serves the respiratory needs of children from infancy through adolescence. As part of this program, you benefit from in-depth family education for invasive and noninvasive ventilation so your child can receive necessary breathing treatment at home. For information, call (405) 271-2234.

Related Resources

Learn more about pulmonary and respiratory conditions, treatments and prevention through these online resources:

Your Pediatric Pulmonary & Respiratory Team

Choosing OU Health Pediatric Pulmonary and Cystic Fibrosis Center for your child’s care means you gain access to board-certified pediatric pulmonologists and pediatric critical care physicians.

You’ll also work with a diverse team of healthcare specialists, including certified physician assistants (PA-C), advanced practice registered nurses (APRN), certified asthma educators (AE-C), nurses, clinical research coordinators, clinical pharmacists, respiratory therapists, dietitians, social workers and others who specialize in caring for infants, children and adolescents with asthma, cystic fibrosis, lung and breathing problems.

Breathing Care from Highly Trained Pediatric Respiratory Therapists

If your child experiences breathing difficulties due to an injury, surgical procedure or medical condition while in the hospital, your family benefits from the expertise of 24/7 care available from the extensive experience of more than 70 respiratory care therapists working throughout the hospital to care for thousands of babies and children every year.

These highly trained therapists work closely with physicians, nurses, and other team members to provide care to treat multiple diseases, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, congenital heart and lung disease, RSV and more in children from newborn to adolescents. This coordinated care promotes and environment of safety while reducing stress for you and your child and also helping with healing. These efforts typically help achieve superior outcomes for your child’s respiratory conditions.

At Oklahoma Children's Hospital, our respiratory therapist are an essential part of the care team who:

  • Administer respiratory therapies ranging from surfactant delivery to high frequency oscillator (HFO) ventilation
  • Lead quality improvement initiatives to enhance asthma care by practicing research-based care
  • Integrate into our pediatric anesthesiology, emergency medicine, pulmonology, critical care and neonatology teams
  • Conduct pulmonary function testing and sleep medicine evaluations
  • Manage discharge coordination if your child needs additional support due to the use of respiratory technology.
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