Expertise and experience

Pediatric pulmonary hypertension is a rare and complex disease, so it’s often difficult to diagnose and properly treat. The best pulmonary hypertension program for your child should offer special expertise and extensive experience in treating this condition.

The Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) was developed more than 20 years ago. This means pediatric pulmonary hypertension is thoroughly understood by every member of your child’s care team, including our surgeons, our anesthesiologists, our nurses and other members. We take a team approach to care, partnering with dedicated specialists across CHOP to provide the most advanced, innovative care for your child. Our program treats more than 700 children with pulmonary hypertension each year, making us the largest pediatric hypertension program in the United States.

Innovative treatment options

There are currently no therapies approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for pediatric pulmonary hypertension. However, there are therapies approved for adults with this condition. Our program has extensive experience with the careful use of adult therapies to treat our pediatric patients. All of these therapies, including newer and more experimental treatments for pediatric pulmonary hypertension, are available in our dedicated clinic. We also participate in clinical trials that may result in new options for our patients.

To develop the most appropriate treatment plan for your child, we work closely with our world-renowned partners in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine as well as other specialties, such as the Pulmonary Hypoplasia Program and the Neonatal and Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program.

We also work with dedicated lung transplant doctors, rheumatologists, hematologists and neurologists who understand childhood pulmonary hypertension and also work closely with us on our research efforts.

Nationally recognized experts

We collaborate with other specialty centers across the United States and Canada through the Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Network Registry (PPHNet). This group of pediatric pulmonary hypertension programs shares information, outcomes and treatment recommendations to help increase the understanding of pediatric pulmonary hypertension. In our program, your child will benefit from this multi-center collaboration.

Our doctors and nurse practitioners are also active participants in the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA). As speakers, educators and committee members, we actively advocate for the PHA mission to include all pediatric patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Our mission is to provide the best quality of life for your child and all children with pulmonary hypertension, while also growing our knowledge of the disease. We value our relationship with your family. We will listen to your concerns, and we are always available for emergencies. Advocacy and education are important parts of our mission, and we’ll work towards it together, with you.