Children's Hospital is part of the UPMC family.
Our Sites
Be safe anytime, anywhere.
To find a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, please call 412-692-7337 or search our directory.
A resource for our network of referring physicians.
For more information about research, please call our main office at 412-692-6438.
Ranked #6 Nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
When you visit the Aerodigestive Center at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, you can expect child-centered care.
You will meet with a team of experts in both common and complex children's breathing and swallowing issues.
With basic questions, call our main ENT office at 412-692-5460.
To make an appointment, call 412-692-7337.
Your child's doctor will refer your child to us. Once we receive it, we'll contact you to set up the appointment.
We'll ask for your insurance details if we don't have it on file. This way, we can check that your health plan will cover the range of services we offer.
Based on your child's medical history, we may already know we will do certain tests or treatments. In these cases, we'll send instructions about any restricted diet your child may need before the appointment. If you don't receive such instructions, your child can eat and drink as usual.
We urge you to write down vital information about your child's breathing or swallowing symptoms, such as:
You should also write down a timeline of past diagnoses and treatments. It helps our team get a full picture of your child's health.
Your 1st visit may last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours.
We can't always predict how long a visit will take, as it will depend on your child's specific condition and needs.
We suggest that you bring snacks, water, and entertainment, such as books or a tablet with earphones.
The visit will often start with a thorough review of your child's:
We'll ask detailed questions about your child's symptoms, when they arise, and how they affect your child.
During the visit, your child may meet different members of our team such as a:
All our team members are experts at calming your child's worries by speaking to them in an age-appropriate way.
We may ask your child to perform some breathing, speech, or swallowing functions.
The doctor may also conduct a noninvasive exam. We may use a flexible scope through your child's nose to check the nose, throat, and voice box.
Based on this first assessment, one of our health team members may diagnose your child's condition and discuss treatment.
More often, the doctor will order tests to ensure an accurate diagnosis. These tests may occur on the same day or in the coming weeks.
Once our experts narrow down your child's problem, they may order tests to see inside the airway or esophagus.
Your child may need anesthesia so that we can do the test in a safe and painless way. Our anesthesiologists are experts at giving safe and effective anesthesia to kids with complex breathing or swallowing issues.
We aim to minimize the number of times your child will need to have anesthesia.
Sometimes we will need to do a few diagnostic tests. If so, we bring many team members together in the operating room so we can do all tests at the same time.
We will schedule follow-up visits, as needed, to discuss any test results and treatments.
Treatments for your child's breathing or swallowing disorder may include:
We will create a complete treatment and management plan to meet your child's and family's unique needs.
Children's Hospital's main campus is located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood. Our main hospital address is:
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh One Children’s Hospital Way 4401 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15224
In addition to the main hospital, Children's has many convenient locations in other neighborhoods throughout the greater Pittsburgh region.
With myCHP, you can request appointments, review test results, and more.
For questions about a hospital bill call:
To pay your bill online, please visit UPMC's online bill payment system.
Interested in giving to Children's Hospital? Support the hospital by making a donation online, joining our Heroes in Healing monthly donor program, or visiting our site to learn about the other ways you can give back.