Pulmonary hypertension

Your child’s first appointment starts with a conversation about your child’s history and symptoms. In children, symptoms may include slow growth, trouble breathing during activity and tiring easily (fatigue). More severe symptoms may include coughing up blood, blue discoloration in the lips, hands or feet, dizziness and fainting. When left untreated, pulmonary hypertension can lead to right heart failure.

To help make a diagnosis, your child’s doctor may recommend blood, heart and lung tests. A comprehensive diagnosis is important to identify the cause of pulmonary hypertension and could be from congenital heart disease, prematurity, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, genetics-related, blood or connective tissue disorders or even have an unknown cause. Together, we discuss your child’s diagnosis, treatment options and ongoing care. We will then create a customized treatment plan that is right for your child and family.

Our goal is to improve your child’s heart and lung function while also improving their symptoms and quality of life. At Dell Children’s, we provide advanced treatments for pulmonary hypertension including oral, IV and inhaled medications. If an intervention is needed, we connect you with the right interventionist or pediatric surgeon at Dell Children’s Medical Center who specializes in lung and heart procedures.

Although there is no cure for many children with pulmonary hypertension, the treatments Dell Children’s offers your child can help them feel better and live long lives.

When you choose Dell Children’s, your family is connected to the most pediatric specialists in Central Texas. That means if your child’s pulmonary hypertension is related to another health concern, your child’s pulmonary hypertension team works closely with other pediatric specialists at Dell Children’s, including pulmonology, cardiology, sleep medicine specialists, craniofacial specialists, neurologists, intensive care specialists, gastroenterologists (GI doctors), endocrinologists, psychologists and more. We collaborate on your child’s care plan to deliver comprehensive, multispecialty care.

Depending on your child’s condition, they may be cared for by the highly experienced and specialized teams of pediatric specialists who collaborate to treat complex conditions. Multispecialty programs at Dell Children’s include:

• Aerodigestive program
• Complex airway program
• Cystic fibrosis program
• Neuromuscular program
• Sickle cell disease program
• Sleep apnea program
• Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease
• Trach-ventilator program

If your child is showing significant signs of respiratory distress, call 911 or go to the nearest ER. Signs of respiratory distress may include increased breathing rate, color changes in the lips, face or nails, noisy breathing or grunting, and retractions (chest sinking below the neck with each inhale), feeling light headed or passing out.

Emergency rooms at Dell Children’s and Ascension Seton sites of care have pediatric care teams delivering care 24/7 for respiratory emergencies.

• Corey A. Chartan, DO, FAAP, Medical Director
• Claire Champion, APRN, CPNP-AC, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
• Sadye Dryzer, BSN, RN, Clinical Nurse Coordinator

As your family's care team, we provide care for the whole child. Pulmonologists, cardiologists, physical therapists, social work, registered dietitians, and child life specialists are part of your care team. 

Child life specialists are experienced in helping children cope through managing fears, stress and other challenges while they are receiving care in the hospital and in our clinics. Our specialists meet with your child and family and work with you to create a care plan that supports your child’s emotional health and well-being.