The Pulmonary Clinic

We see children with lung/breathing problems like asthma, chronic lung disease, cough, pneumonia, lung damage, and other lung problems.

Your child will see the lung specialist (pulmonologist) or the pulmonary nurse practitioner. They may also see other healthcare providers like a nurse, dietitian or respiratory therapist. Who they see depends on your child’s specific needs. We are a teaching hospital, so students, doctors and nurse practitioners in training may also see your child.

Clinic visit times depend on your child’s medical needs and may vary. Appointments can range from 30 minutes to two hours or longer. We try to keep the visit to 60 minutes, but the amount of time depends on tests needed and how many healthcare team members need to see you child.

It can be a long day. Feel free to bring snacks, formula or juice, books, and toys. To learn more about how to prepare for a clinic visit, hospital amenities and family support services, visit seattlechildrens.org/patients-families.

1. You and your child will be met by a medical assistant and taken into an exam room. We will take height, weight, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure.
2. We will do an oxygen saturation test and may do breathing tests. An oxygen saturation is when we take something that looks like a band-aid and wrap it around your child’s finger or toe. It measures the amount of oxygen in the blood. The test is quick and does not hurt. We may also have your child do breathing tests to test lung function.
3. Your child will see our team of experts. Then, there may be other tests that we need to do right away or others we may need to schedule for another time.
4. At the end of your visit, we will either give you a written copy of our recommendations for your child’s plan of care or include those instructions in your child’s MyChart account. This includes medicines, nutrition, appointments for more testing (if needed), and when we would like to see your child again.

• Clinic notes or reports from your child’s primary healthcare provider that talk about your child’s lung problems
• Your child’s medications, and medical equipment (oxygen, ventilator, CPAP/BiPAP machine)
• The weight of your child’s wheelchair, if they have one
• Any forms that might need to be signed by our providers, for example any school forms
• Actual X-rays or X-rays on a CD, and reports of blood work and other tests

We value and respect your time. We will try hard to see your child on time. To help us do this, please arrive at the clinic 15 minutes before your clinic appointment time. This should give you enough time to check in and fill out forms.