High Risk Asthma Clinic
Children hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for asthma or have difficulty controlling asthma even with medication are candidates for more intensive treatment at the CHOC High Risk Asthma Clinic.
The High Risk Clinic includes:
- A pulmonologist, respiratory therapist and certified asthma educator at all appointments
- Intensive education to understand the causes and treatment of asthma
- A detailed action plan for both home and school by a certified asthma educator (a nurse or respiratory therapist with asthma support certification)
- Convenient evening appointments, so that more school-days aren’t missed
Advanced Diagnostic Testing
Our Asthma Center has state-of-art diagnostic equipment and technology to offer the highest quality of care including:
- Spirometry which measures the air capacity when inhaled and exhaled
- Full pulmonary function testing for measuring lung volumes and looks for hyperinflation or restriction on lung volumes
- Impulse Oscillatory Spirometry (IOS) measures airway resistance especially in preschool children
- Exercise challenge testing assesses if exercise symptoms are due to asthma
- Exhaled nitric oxide measures allergic airway inflammation
- Allergy testing by specific IgE blood testing
- Bronchoscopy testing to look into the airways with a scope and camera
