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Pulmonary
The respiratory system is a network of organs and other body parts that allow us to breathe in oxygen (inhale) and breathe out carbon dioxide (exhale). This network includes the muscles that expand and contract the lungs and airways; the areas of the brain that transmit nerve impulses to the muscles, telling them to expand and contract; and the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide between blood vessels and lung tissue. Children with SNI may have chronic respiratory problems, such as an altered ability to clear mucus from the lungs, shallow breathing, and aspiration. Other medical issues, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), obstructive sleep apnea or central apnea, and neuromuscular (NM) scoliosis, can also affect the respiratory system. The impact of these problems can be reduced, though the problems cannot be cured and the benefit from treatment can decrease as the underlying condition progresses.
Your Team:
An interdisciplinary specialist who helps manage the medical, social and emotional challenges of complex and/or long-term care.
A medical specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the ear, nose and throat (ENT).
A specialist whose aim is to improve the quality of life of their patients over the course of their illness regardless of stage, by relieving pain and other symptoms of that illness.
A medical professional who practices general medicine.
A medical specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the respiratory system; the lungs and other organs associated with breathing.
A medical specialist in the use of medical imaging (x-ray, MRI, CT, PET) procedures to diagnose injuries and diseases.
A therapist who can assess speech, language, cognitive-communication, and oral/feeding/swallowing skills as well as provide therapies and treatments to address any issues.
Your child’s primary physician will help assess for common reasons that respiratory symptoms develop, such as a viral illness. A pulmonologist or an otolaryngologist (ENT) can consider more complex reasons when respiratory issues continue. A speech therapist and radiologist can assess swallowing issues that cause aspiration. Complex care and palliative care clinicians can bring expertise when there is declining benefit from treatment, and when decisions arise around possible interventions or therapies.