Patient Population

For years there has been considerable migration of patients with respiratory disorders to Tucson and other cities in Arizona. This has produced a sizable pediatric patient population with a variety of pulmonary illnesses. Therefore, pediatric patients for care, research and teaching purposes are readily available.  Our specialty clinics in cystic fibrosis, home ventilation and tracheostomy management, aerodigestive disorders, and severe asthma (in conjunction with Pediatric Allergy/Immunology) offer a range of patents cared for in an interdisciplinary environment.  The Pediatric Pulmonary Division sees  patients with a variety of respiratory illnesses are seen. In addition to CF, the various disorders seen include asthma and severe asthma, bronchiolitis, idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis, bronchiectasis, congenital lung and airway anomalies, coccidioidomycosis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, apnea and sleep disorders.  Trainees have a half-day continuity clinic weekly which is supervised by a pulmonary attending giving the opportunity to have graded responsibility in patient care.

Inpatient pulmonary service patients and consultations are seen at Banner University Medical Center – Tucson, and Banner Children’s – Diamond Children’s Medical Center.  We are regularly involved in the care of children in the PICU and NICU as consultants. Our hospitalist team routinely consults our service on children admitted with asthma and recurrent wheezing along with more complex respiratory disease.  We perform approximately 100  flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopies per annum on outpatients and have a comprehensive training program in bronchoscopy.

We regularly follow over 170 CF patients with approximately 500 CF patient clinic visits per year. Trainees take an active role in the management of our CF patients. Complex patients are commonly assigned a ‘primary fellow’ in order to maintain continuity of care. All pediatric CF inpatients are managed or followed closely by our team. Finally, trainees are encouraged to participate in patient counseling, education, and activities such as Patient and Family Education Nights.  The Division is actively engaged in cystic fibrosis clinical research and quality improvement.

Patient Summary