Department of Pulmonology and Somnology (Sleep Medicine) (359411)

About the department

The Department of Pulmonology and Somnology at the Pediatric Diagnostic Hospital M1 offers the full range of services in these medical focuses. The department specializes in the comprehensive diagnostics and treatment of respiratory diseases, respiratory and sleep disorders. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Uwe Mellies.

Thanks to modern technologies, the specialist of the department can accurately diagnose any disease of this spectrum and conduct optimal therapy.

In the field of pulmonology, the diagnostics of the following diseases is offered:

• Respiratory disorders in infants and newborns
• Chronic lung diseases in premature infants
• Unstable allergic and non-allergic asthma
• Recurrent bronchitis and pneumonia
• Malformations of the respiratory tract in newborns
• Hereditary diseases of the respiratory tract, e.g., cystic fibrosis, ciliary dyskinesia
• Respiratory tract lesions in children with cancer, immune and other severe diseases
• Respiratory disorders in children with developmental delay, for example, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc.
• Respiratory disorders in children with chest defects and scoliosis
• Impaired respiratory regulation

The most common sleep disorders in children are:

• Sleep onset insomnia and sleep structure disorders
• Impaired rhythm of sleep and wakefulness
• Sleep disorders due to behavior
• Disorder of respiratory function during sleep (e.g., snoring and obstructive sleep apnea)
• Organic causes (e.g., bronchial asthma, runny nose, pain)

Since the child's stay in the hospital can cause some stress, the department has a unique experience of performing a full-fledged sleep diagnostics at home. Within the framework of polysomnography, doctors assess the sleep profile (surface and deep), snoring, breathing, oxygen saturation, take into account the position of the body, and make ECG recording.

The range of diagnostic services of the department includes:

Pulmonology

• Pulmonary function testing (spirometry, whole body plethysmography)
• Examinations under load (ergometry, spiroergometry on a stationary bike or a treadmill)
• Imaging examination methods (ultrasound, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, X-ray, CT)
• Laboratory tests (all laboratory-chemical and microbiological tests)
• Allergologic tests (in the hospital’s own Allergology Lab)
• Multiple Breath Washout (a very accurate innovative method for assessing lung function in infants under 2 years of age)

Sleep Medicine

• Polysomnography
• Actigraphy (a long examination of sleep that lasts for several days or weeks)