The Cystic Fibrosis Center is one of only three level III CF centers is the state of New Jersey that is accredited by the national CF Foundation. The Adult CF Center at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital received accreditation by the National CF Foundation in 2007. The Cystic Fibrosis Center offers a comprehensive team approach to the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of infants, children, adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis.

Renowned for its focus on clinical research and education, the Comprehensive Cystic Fibrosis Center at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at RWJUH has been accredited by the National Cystic Fibrosis Center as one of 117 in the nation and is ranked among the top 10 U.S. centers for patient outcomes. The Cystic Fibrosis Center also received its designation as a TDN (Therapeutics Development Network) Center in 2014. This designation has expanded the clinical research focus of this program, which is a great benefit to our patients. Read more...

Located directly across from The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital campus, The Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center has helped thousands of people get back to a fully functioning life. Our sleep center is one of the few comprehensive sleep disorders centers accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and one of only a handful in New Jersey that performs comprehensive pediatric sleep studies for children from birth to 18 years.

The Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center can treat the full spectrum of sleep disorders and has the capability to serve children with special needs, as well as high-risk children.

A Team of Specialists

The center, one of the first in New Jersey, performed its first sleep study in 1979. Since then, it has evolved to include a staff of specialists in psychiatry, psychology, pulmonary medicine, pediatrics, otolaryngology, and dentistry.

Our specialized staff, operating under the supervision of board-certified sleep physicians, is available to meet all of your family’s needs.

Sleep Study

A sleep study, or polysomnogram, is a comprehensive recording of your child’s sleep. The sleep study is non-invasive and painless and will assess your child’s sleep pattern, including disrupted breathing, snoring, leg movements, heart rhythms and oxygen levels.

We understand that this testing may be stressful for you and your child, so accommodations are made for you to stay with your child to make both of you feel more comfortable.

After the sleep study is complete, a light breakfast will be provided, and your child’s test results will be evaluated and returned to your referring physician. Your physician, along with our sleep center team, will review the study and recommend a treatment plan for your child.

About Sleep Disorders

Good sleep is essential for proper growth and development for all children. Often, sleep disorders can lead to other, more serious medical conditions. It is estimated that more than 2 million children suffer from sleep disorders, and about 69 percent of children under the age of 10 have some type of sleep problem.

Sleep disorders can be detrimental to your child’s growth and development. In fact, a recent study of first-grade students found that 18 percent of the students in the lowest 10 percent of the class had Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The proper treatment of OSA led to significant improvements in their school performance.

Symptoms of Sleep Disorders

• Snoring
• Choking and gasping in sleep
• Struggling to breathe
• Mouth breathing
• Restless sleep
• Teeth grinding (bruxism)
• Sleep walking
• Nightmares
• Night terrors
• Bed-wetting
• Night sweats
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Periodic limb movements
• Failure to gain weight
• Behavioral problems

Director

Maya Ramagopal, MD

This unique program was established in 2014 to provide services to patients and families who have complex disorders of the upper airway and gastrointestinal tract. This service involves a collaboration between physicians from pulmonary medicine, otolaryngology (ENT) and gastroenterology. The unique feature of the program is that after an initial consultation, physicians from all three divisions meet in conference and review the individual patient’s problems to set out a plan for diagnosis and treatment. The advantage to the family is that if multiple endoscopies are required, they can be performed at the same time by these collaborating physicians with only one anesthesia administration required for the patient. Examples of conditions that would be treated in this program are subglottic and tracheal stenosis, tracheostomy dependence, vocal cord paralysis, aspiration involving choking when eating, gastroesophageal reflux, congenital esophageal disorders with airway or breathing problems such as a tracheal esophageal fistula, CHARGE syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), tracheomalacia, noisy breathing, persistent wheezing, pharyngeal cleft, and other disorders of the upper airway and gastrointestinal tract.

With the incidence and prevalence of asthma increasing, the Asthma Program was established in 2005 to offer comprehensive care and assessment for children with asthma. This care includes routine lung function testing at every clinic visit. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is one of only a few pediatric centers that offers effort independent assessment of lung function for children younger than 6 years of age.

Services

• Evaluation of your child’s current treatment plan
• Special breathing tests such as spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide and IOS (Impedence Oscillometry)
• Allergy testing
• Continuous asthma education, treatment and management

Customized Care

Upon completion of each child’s comprehensive assessment, a custom action plan tailored specifically to the patient’s individual needs is developed to outline the patient’s path of treatment. A copy is shared with the child’s school nurse, as well as the patient’s primary physician.

Our specialized team will review the plan with the patient and his or her family to educate all involved with the patient’s care.

Director

Thomas F. Scanlin, Jr., MD

The Pediatric Flexible Bronchoscopy Service is valuable for the diagnosis and/or treatment of a number of pediatric pulmonary conditions. Some of these conditions may include those associated with stridor, such as laryngomalacia, laryngotracheomalacia and subglottic edema. Flexible bronchoscopy is used for the work-up of wheezing not responsive to bronchodilators, suspected airway compression, tracheostomy evaluation and suspected foreign body.

Flexible bronchoscopy is especially valuable for the diagnosis of infections, such as pneumonia that is persistent or recurrent, for HIV infections and for the treatment of atelectasis. The findings and therapeutic options are closely coordinated with the referring physician.

The Pediatric Home Ventilator and Tracheostomy Program provides specialized care to children who have chronic lung/airway disease requiring tracheostomy and/or prolonged invasive and non-invasive ventilation at home and Bi-PAP, C-PAP, negative pressure ventilation and mechanical ventilators.

The Technology Dependence Center at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at RWJUH was created to help educate patients and their families on how to provide quality medical care to children with special needs at home. The Technology Dependence Center provides services to all children from birth to adulthood. Our team will work alongside other disciplines to ensure that the patients and the families receive all the care and education they need.

Our dedicated team of physicians, advanced practice nurses, nutritionists and social workers work with the families and outside agencies to coordinate care within the home.

Director

Lakshmi Uppaluri, MBBS