Airway Team

The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) has brought together a team of specialists devoted to the medical and surgical management of complex pediatric airway disorders to create a unique, multidisciplinary program - the only one of its kind in the Northeastern United States.

Known as The Airway Team, this group of nationally renowned physicians lend their expertise and innovation to the care of children with tracheal obstruction or masses; feeding disorders; sleep abnormalities including apneas; and “blue spells.” The team treats patients, ranging from newborns to age 21, with conditions including laryngo- and tracheomalacia; tracheal and subglottic stenosis; subglottal webs; complete tracheal rings; laryngeal papillomatosis and other congenital and acquired airway disease due to accident or intubation.

The Airway Team at CHAM includes John Bent, MD, Director, Pediatric Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Samuel Weinstein, MD, Director, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Kiran Nandalike, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. The interaction of several disciplines acting in concert benefits both patients and their families since all the necessary specialties are directly involved from the beginning. A multidisciplinary evaluation of the patient is followed by a conference which may incorporate additional pediatric airway specialists including anesthesiologists, pediatric critical care specialists, pediatric radiologists, as well as highly skilled nursing staff, with all participants drawing on their particular capabilities to devise the best treatment plan possible.

CHAM’s Airway Team uses highly sophisticated technology to assess patients’ pulmonary function including non-invasive techniques such as virtual bronchoscopy, a state-of-the-art sleep study and a specialized procedure to test infants’ breathing capabilities. Some conditions, such as certain apneas, may be managed using Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure (BPAP) or other techniques. When surgery, such as tracheal resection, is indicated, the team’s pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon supports these complex procedures, including those that require heart/lung bypass.