Respiratory Medicine (Pulmonology/Respirology)

IMPORTANT COVID-19 UPDATE: Returning to school or daycare for the child with respiratory disease (PDF) (updated August 2020)

Government of Québec guidelines on the return to school (August 2020)

The Montreal Children’s Hospital Respiratory Medicine division treats infants, children and adolescents with a wide variety of respiratory disorders. We provide an active in-patient consultation service within a busy tertiary care children’s hospital, including consultation on the general pediatric wards, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and our emergency room. We perform both elective and urgent flexible bronchoscopies and often collaborate with our colleagues in Otolaryngology and Gastroenterology to perform “triple scope” procedures.  In addition, we have an extensive ambulatory care service as highlighted below.

Vertical Tabs

Who we are

The Montreal Children’s Hospital Respiratory Medicine division treats infants, children and adolescents with a wide variety of respiratory disorders. We provide an active in-patient consultation service within a busy tertiary care children’s hospital, including consultation on the general pediatric wards, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and our emergency room. We perform both elective and urgent flexible bronchoscopies and often collaborate with our colleagues in Otolaryngology and Gastroenterology to perform “triple scope” procedures.  In addition, we have an extensive ambulatory care service as highlighted below.

In addition to our general consultation and follow-up chest clinics, the Respiratory Medicine department houses a multitude of specialty clinics including Tuberculosis Clinic, Asthma clinic (both tertiary and in the community), Infant respiratory/home monitoring clinic, Apnea Evaluation/CPAP Clinic , Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) clinic (pediatric and adult), and a Subspecialty Resident (Fellow) Continuity clinic. In addition, we have many multidisciplinary clinics in which the respirologist plays a pivotal role, including Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) and Home Oxygen Clinic, Neuromuscular Clinic, Chronic Home Ventilation Clinic (including patients with invasive ventilation via tracheostomy and non-invasive ventilation such as BPAP), Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) clinic, Esophageal Atresia-Tracheoesophageal Fistula (EA-TEF) Clinic, and Sickle Cell Disease clinic. Individual members of our staff are also involved in the Craniofacial and Cleft Surgery team and in the care of adult lung transplant recipients.

In 2015, the Montreal Children’s Hospital moved to a new state-of-the-art facility at the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) Glen site, which combines both adult and pediatric clinical hospital buildings, the Research Institute and the Centre for Innovative Medicine (CIM) all under one roof at the Glen site.

Research Institute: https://rimuhc.ca/

Center for Innovative Medicine: https://rimuhc.ca/mcconnell-centre-for-innovative-medicine

 

Our team

DIRECTOR:

STAFF PHYSICIANS:

ASSOCIATE STAFF PHYSICIANS :

  • Dr. Jocelyn Lavigne
  • Dr. Julie St-Pierre

FELLOWS AND RESIDENTS:

Our Respiratory Medicine Training Program is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. We also have medical students, residents, nurse practitioner students, and physician assistant students rotating with us at various times.

NURSING STAFF:

  • Deborah Fertuck 
  • Maria Harvey 
  • Shazia Khan 
  • Sylvie Pilon 

RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS (RTs):

  • Diana Zinno, assistant chief RT
  • Isabelle Guevin
  • Lidia Miriello

MANAGER RESPIRATORY AND ANESTHESIA SERVICES:

Lori Seller

 

Community outreach services

The MCH Respiratory Department has demonstrated leadership in the area of community outreach programs throughout the province, allowing patients to receive respiratory care closer to their home communities. These programs include:

  • Respiratory consultation service for the northern Quebec communities via telemedicine and in person: This encompasses consultations for Tuberculosis, recurrent respiratory infections, aspiration, and bronchiectasis. The consultation process has allowed most patients to remain in their communities, and only those patients requiring special investigation such as a CT scan or bronchoscopy needs to travel to the MCH for treatment.  
  • Rouyn-Noranda: Dr. Lands provides consultation and direct clinic involvement to the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic in Rouyn-Noranda, attending four times per year. Members of the hospital’s Cystic Fibrosis Clinic have also joined Dr. Lands on visits to remote outposts on a rotating basis. This is done to provide better integration of care and to share recent clinical advances. Dr. Lands also conducts pediatric general respirology consultation clinics four times a year in Rouyn Noranda.
  • Gatineau: Dr. Côté conducts consultation clinics four times a year in Gatineau, Quebec.
  • Lakeshore General Hospital: Dr. Canakis and Dr. Zielinski perform community asthma clinics on the West Island of Montreal.
  • Dr. Côté has developed an extensive provincial network with neonatal and pediatric units for remote monitoring, and interpretation of oxygen saturation and apnea recordings. She also provides telehealth consultations for these cases.
Additional programs

In addition to the clinical services we provide, members of our division are involved in running the following programs:

  • The Jeremy Rill Centre for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), run by Dr. Côté, provides bereavement counselling and support for parents and families, as well as outreach education on prevention. For more information please visit The Jeremy Rill Centre page.
  • The Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prevention Program, run by Dr. Canakis, ensures access to palivizumab vaccination for at-risk infants.
Research

Many of our division members are actively involved in research, including basic science, translational and clinical research. The details of each division member’s research interests, achievements, and selected publications can be seen in their bios in the “Our team” section.

Education and Subspecialty Residency Program (Fellowship for non-Canadians)

Please refer to the McGill department of Pediatrics website which describes our subspecialty program in pediatric respiratory medicine

Your Pulmonary Function Test appointment

If your child is scheduled for a test in the Respiratory Physiology Lab/Pulmonary Function Laboratory, please bring the following on the day of your appointment:

Please contact us by phone (514-412-4400 Ext: 22725) if: 

  • Your child is ill on the day of the appointment, or the day prior
  • You need to reschedule your appointment (please call at least 48 hours in advance)
  • You are delayed by more than 15 min on your way to your appointment

What is the duration of my child’s test?  

  • Spirometry: 30 mins
  • Bronchoprovocation Test: 60-75 mins
  • Exercise test: 60-75 mins

If your child takes inhaled medications, please withhold administering them for the specified time(s) below before your appointment, unless otherwise instructed by your child’s doctor:

  • Withhold short-acting B2 agonists (Ventolin/Salbutamol, Bricanyl):  6 hrs       
  • Withhold long-acting B2 agonists (Zenhale, Advair, Symbicort):  36 hrs       
  • Withhold short-acting anticholinergics (Atrovent/ Ipratropium ):  12 hrs       
  • Withhold long-acting anticholinergics (Spiriva):  7 days    

 

Challenge test: Medications to withhold prior to testing 

Mannitol challenge test: click here for full list of medications to withhold

  • No caffeine for 24 hours prior to test  (coffee, tea, cola drinks, energy drinks, chocolate) 
  • No exercise for 12 hrs. prior to testing   
  • No smoking or vaping for 6 hrs. prior to testing 

 

Sleep Laboratory

We work in close collaboration with the Sleep Laboratory, headed by Dr. Evelyn Constantin. Our Sleep Laboratory conducts evaluations on children with sleep-related breathing disorders. Studies are done both in laboratory and at home. Patients with potential obstructive sleep apnea may be referred directly to the Sleep Laboratory. To learn more about the Sleep Laboratory and its activities, please click on this link

Refer a patient 

Room: A S1.3333, Glen site

To make an appointment with a physician for a Respiratory Medicine Consultation please send your referral via:

  • Telephone: 514-412-4400 Ext 22725
  • Fax: 514-412-4266

For Pulmonary Fuction Tests, please download the following referral form and send it by: