Baby swallowing button battery: Flexi Bronchoscopy, ENT: Dr. Sheelu Srinivas: Fortis Hospitals Bangalore...

Pediatric Airway:Who should visit a Pediatric ENT Specialist?

Pediatric Airway Program

Airway Clinic : A multidisciplinary approach with the team including ENT Surgeon specializing in Pediatric airway, Pediatric Pulmonologist and equipped with outpatient endoscopic setup to complete ICU back up for open airway surgeries.

Tracheostomy Program

Swallowing Evaluation and FEES (Functional Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing)

Whom to refer?

1.       Noisy Breathers especially babies with failure to thrive

2.       Infants and children with stridor

3.       Babies with recurrent croup

4.       Children with recurrent pneumonias

5.       Wheeze or asthma not responding to regular treatment to look for associated airway pathologies

6.       NICU Babies or kids with increased respiratory effort post extubation

7.       Swallowing and Feeding difficulty in babies

8.       Infants and children with congenital malformations of head and neck

What happens when babies come to hospital?

First they will have an outpatient consultation with ENT surgeon. We perform outpatient flexible nasolaryngoscopy and swallowing assessment. Referral to other specialties including pulmonology, speech therapy will be done as required.

Flexible Nasolaryngoscopy

If further assessments of lower airways are required, then micro laryngoscopy and Bronchoscopy under anesthesia will be planned.

Depending on final diagnosis, management including conservative, endoscopic procedure or open airway surgery will be planned.