Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia

Expert Care for Children with Breathing and Sleep Disorders

Wellstar Children’s is home to the CSRA’s only pediatric pulmonologists and sleep medicine specialists. If your child is having difficulty breathing or sleeping, our physicians are highly trained to diagnose and treat respiratory conditions and sleep disorders in children from birth to age 21.

Team approach

Our pediatric pulmonary medicine experts believe that collaboration produces the best outcomes. That’s why we partner with pediatric otolaryngologists (ear, nose and throat (ENT) physicians), pediatric gastroenterologists and pediatric surgeons to provide the most comprehensive, effective care for your child. We also work with pediatric dietitians, respiratory therapists and psychologists to help children with breathing disorders learn to manage and cope with their illness.

Our multidisciplinary team offers a Pediatric Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) Lab and several specialty clinics for patients with cystic fibrosis, sleep apnea, ventilator dependence and more. Our Cystic Fibrosis Center is one of only two in Georgia accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which recognizes care centers dedicated to providing the highest level of treatment and support for patients with the disorder.

Conditions we treat

We provide evaluation and treatment for a range of chronic and acute disorders that affect a child’s breathing.

Breathing disorders

Aerodigestive disorders: Conditions of the respiratory tract and upper digestive tract that can impact a child’s breathing and swallowing
Asthma: Chronic inflammation of the airways that causes coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath
Persistent cough: Cough that lasts three or more months
Pneumonia: Infection of the lungs that can be viral, bacterial or fungal and can cause fluid buildup in the lungs and difficulty breathing

Chronic lung disease

Cystic fibrosis: Genetic disorder of the lungs and digestive system that can lead to chronic cough, recurrent pneumonia, chronic sinus infections and difficulty gaining weight
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: Damage to the lungs of premature newborns

Sleep disorders

Sleep apnea: Condition in which breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted during sleep
Insomnia: Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Narcolepsy: Disorder that causes excessive daytime sleepiness

Our Services

Pediatric Pulmonary Function Testing Lab

Our dedicated PFT Lab helps pediatric pulmonologists, asthma and allergy specialists, and other healthcare professionals diagnose and treat breathing disorders in children. The PFT Lab is also used to monitor the effectiveness of treatment for pediatric patients with lung conditions.

PFT Lab team members include certified pediatric respiratory therapists who are specially trained to work with children. Using child-friendly equipment and procedures, they perform a range of diagnostic tests that evaluate lung function, including:

Spirometry: A simple test that measures how much air—and how quickly—a patient breathes out to see how well the lungs work. It is used to diagnose breathing conditions such as asthma and bronchitis.
Lung volume test: More precise than spirometry, this test measures the volume of air in the lungs, including the air that remains at the end of a normal breath.
Exhaled nitric oxide test: Measures the amount of nitric oxide that is exhaled from a breath. It is used for diagnosing and managing asthma and other breathing conditions.
Bronchial provocation test: Performed to check the sensitivity of a patient’s lungs to allergens and other triggers
Exercise test: Involves having a patient run on a treadmill before testing their lung function. It is used to diagnose exercise-induced asthma.
Plethysmography: A test that measures how much air your lungs can hold and is commonly recommended for patients with asthma and cystic fibrosis
Sweat test: Measures the amount of chloride (a component of salt) in sweat and is the most reliable way to diagnose cystic fibrosis. For newborns, this test may be recommended based on newborn screening results or clinical signs and symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis

The pediatric pulmonologists at our Cystic Fibrosis Center offer high-quality inpatient and outpatient medical care and education for children with cystic fibrosis. We are one of only two care centers in Georgia accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This accreditation means we meet specific clinical care guidelines established by the foundation to guarantee quality of care. We offer:

Pulmonologists and nurse practitioners who specialize in treating children with cystic fibrosis
A collaborative and multidisciplinary team that includes pediatric gastroenterologists, endocrinologists, otolaryngologists, surgeons, respiratory therapists, dietitians, medical social workers, nurses and pharmacists
Psychologists who help children cope with the impact of chronic illness
Ongoing research and access to clinical trials through our exclusive partnership with Medical College of Georgia
Smooth transitions to our accredited Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program
Patient- and family-centered care

Pediatric Sleep Center

Accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, our Pediatric Sleep Center is one of the few clinics in the Southeast that treats both adults and children, from infants to adolescents. Our pediatric sleep specialists work closely with pediatric pulmonologists, pediatric ENTs and other physicians to serve families of children with complex sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, insomnia and narcolepsy.

Our sleep studies are performed by the largest team of registered polysomnographic technologists in the Augusta region. They are then interpreted by board-certified sleep medicine physicians, who diagnose any disorder and its severity and prescribe treatments, if needed.