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Pulmonology (Lung Disease)

Meyer Kattan, MD

The Division of Pulmonology at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital has a long and distinguished history in the diagnosis and treatment of children with respiratory problems. In 1938, Dr. Dorothy Andersen, a pathologist at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, published the first clinical description of cystic fibrosis. In the 1970s, Dr. Robert Mellins, a noted pediatric pulmonologist, established one of the first pediatric pulmonary programs.

Today the Sarah E. Nash Lung Center and the Sue and John L. Weinberg Cystic Fibrosis Center together form a tertiary center for the full range of acute and chronic respiratory diseases in infants, children and adolescents. Their specialists treat asthma, cystic fibrosis, lung injury, recurrent pneumonia and other respiratory disorders. The Cystic Fibrosis Center is a nationally accredited program by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which enables patients to have access to clinical trials of the newest antibiotic and anti-inflammation therapies for management of the disease and its complications. It is also a New York State-approved referral center for cystic fibrosis screening in newborns. The Center's multidisciplinary team includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers and respiratory therapists.

Diagnostic tests at the center include flexible bronchoscopy for infants and children of any age, which is usually performed on an ambulatory basis under conditions ensuring safety for the patient. It is an important tool in the evaluation of children with chronic or persistent wheeze or stridor; recurrent or persistent pneumonia; any persistent or recurring abnormalities on the chest radiograph; or with an unusual breathing pattern or noises.

The Pulmonary Function Laboratory non-invasively measures lung function. The measurements include the speed at which air comes out of the lungs; the size of the lungs; and how the air gets across from the lung and into the blood vessels. It can also measure the changes in lung function over time or with chronic therapy; or a child's immediate response to medications for asthma. This testing can provide critical information to the physicians of those children who are at possible risk for lung disease; or those with lung disease. NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is one of the few centers in the New York metropolitan area able to measure and monitor lung function in children of any age - including infants (using special equipment for those tiny patients).

The Exercise Physiology Laboratory is among the few in the Northeast dedicated to children and adolescents that is capable of non-invasive measurement of heart and lung function during progressive exercise. The exercise test is performed when the patient is either on a bicycle or treadmill. Pulmonary function tests are conducted before the exercise. During exercise the heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen levels are monitored and the air that is breathed in and out is measured. In some patients, especially those with lung disease, pulmonary functions are often repeated following the exercise test.

Tests conducted for diagnosing respiratory disorders include exercise physiology studies and pulmonary function testing. The pulmonologists also perform flexible bronchoscopy for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This outpatient procedure enables the physician to view the child or infant's lungs and airway passages.

The Division of Pulmonology also offers expertise in evaluating children with sleep disorders, such as snoring, obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.