Pediatric Pulmonology

At the Mount Sinai Health System, we treat a range of pediatric pulmonary conditions including sleep apnea, asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, chronic cough, ventilator dependency, sleep disorders, snoring, stridor, and tuberculosis. We take a family-centered approach to diagnosing and treating your child.

To ensure the best outcome for your child, our multidisciplinary team includes endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, allergists, general pediatricians, ear, nose, and throat physicians (otolaryngologists), and sleep experts as well as pediatric pulmonologists. We also offer social work services.

Our Special Diagnostic and Treatment Programs include:

• The Children’s Asthma Program provides state-of-the-art care to treat and manage this respiratory disorder.
• The Pulmonary Function Laboratory under the supervision of Alejandrina Behagen, uses state-of-the-art equipment to perform comprehensive testing, including:
  • Spirometry, a simple breathing test to determine how well air flows into and out of the lungs
  • Plethysmography and diffusion, tests to determine lung volumes and how well oxygen is transported from the lung into the blood
  • Impulse oscillometry, a test that can be performed in children as young as three and a half years to determine if there is any airway disease
  • Fractional excretion of nitric oxide, a test to indirectly measure a specific type of inflammation in the lungs
  • Methacholine challenge, a test to help diagnose asthma; this test is very helpful for patients with atypical symptoms
• The Bronchoscopy Suite at Mount Sinai is one of the most comprehensive flexible bronchoscopy programs for young patients in the region. In addition to routine procedures involving direct visualization of the airway and collection of fluid for analysis, we use advanced approaches such as airway and transbronchial biopsies. For very complex situations, we offer specialized services such as cryotherapy/cryobiopsy, balloon dilation, foreign body retrieval, laser/argon plasma coagulation, and navigational bronchoscopy. We work closely with colleagues from ENT and adult pulmonology to provide the best possible outcome for your child.
• The Complex Asthma Clinic diagnoses and manages patients with asthma who may need an alternative to aggressive conventional therapy. Coordinated by Samantha Rose, PNP, the Complex Asthma Clinic routinely administers non-steroid based therapies (i.e. monoclonal antibodies) and actively runs study protocols for treating the most severely affected young patients.
• The Pediatric Chronic Lung Care Program provides high-level inpatient and outpatient respiratory care to children with chronic respiratory challenges.
• The Pediatric Sleep Medicine Program offers the full range of diagnostic and treatment services for sleep-related problems in children. Sleep studies at the Mount Sinai Children’s Integrative Sleep Center can help diagnose snoring or poorly sleeping children with obstructive sleep apnea, while office consultation with a sleep physician can assist in evaluation and management of various respiratory, behavioral, and neurologic sleep conditions.