Chronic Pulmonary and Ventilator Program | Your Visit

To schedule or cancel an appointment, call 617-355-1900.

When canceling an appointment, please give us as much notice as possible, at least 24 hours in advance, so that we may accommodate other patients.

• Insurance card(s)
• Name and telephone number of your referring physician
• Notes or summary from your primary care physician
• Co-payment for office visit (if applicable)
• Any forms mailed to you by our office
• Previous chest X-rays
• Home equipment (e.g., ventilator, inexsufflator)

During a visit, you and your child will meet with one of our doctors for a physical exam and discussion of your child's health. You will also meet with one of our nurses, to determine your child's needs at home, and a respiratory therapist, to review equipment.

Appointments take about one hour. Some appointments may require special diagnostic testing which can add time to your visit.

Respiratory therapists are available to answer questions about treatment, breathing exercises and the use of equipment.

Our respiratory therapists:

• Lauren Perlman, RT, Director
• Donna Bruley, RT
• Daria Donelly, RT

Call 617-355-7510 to speak with a technician or to schedule a pulmonary function test.

PFT technicians:

• Nancy Shotola, Chief technician and manager
• Nathan Cockrell
• Nicole Graf
• Phuong Tang
• Amy Parchesky
• Juanita Prosper-Shelley
• Michael Kim

Infant PFTs can be scheduled by calling 617-355-7510 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

During a visit, your child may undergo tests to see how his or her lungs are working. These tests may include:

• Chest X-ray
• Neck and sinus X-rays
• Pulmonary function tests: a range of tests that measure how well the lungs take in and exhale air, and how efficiently they transfer oxygen into the blood.
• Arterial blood gas (ABG) test: a blood test that measures the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood to determine how well the lungs are working. The blood sample is usually taken from an artery in your child's wrist.
• End-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring (ETCO2): a test that measures the amount of carbon dioxide that is exhaled from the respiratory system. During the test, your child is hooked up to a sensor that monitors his or her breathing. The test is painless and usually takes 15 minutes to complete.
• Lung volume and pressure measurements via an existing tracheostomy tube
• Blood test for immunologic and allergic evaluation