Lurie Children’s offers the Pulmonary Hypertension Service to care for children of all ages with pulmonary hypertension (PH). PH is a disease of the very small blood vessels within the lungs. When they become narrowed, scarred or clotted, it is more difficult for blood to pass through the vessels. The right side of the heart then has to work harder to pump blood through these vessels. Therefore, pulmonary hypertension affects not only the lungs but the heart as well.
Our service offers expertise from Pulmonary Medicine, the Heart Center and Neonatology to develop individualized treatment plans for pediatric PH patients.
Why Choose Lurie Children's?
We provide comprehensive treatment to meet the needs of each patient. Pulmonary specialists collaborate with experts from across Lurie Children’s to provide the best care for each patient. Because certain conditions may cause PH in children, we work with the child’s treatment team to address the patient’s complete needs. We work very closely with experts from the Heart Center, as PH can affect the heart in addition to the lungs. We also believe in family-centered care, which means we involve the whole family in a patient’s treatment plan.
Our Specialists
The Pulmonary Hypertension Service at Lurie Children’s is made up of three physicians and one nurse practitioner.
Amanda L. Hauck, MD
Attending Physician, Cardiology; Medical Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Steven Lestrud, MD
Medical Director, Respiratory Care; Attending Physician, Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine
Nicolas F. Porta, MD
Attending Physician, Neonatology; Co-Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program; Associate Director, Lurie Children’s NICU
Jennifer Beier, APRN-NP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Pulmonary Medicine/Pulmonary Hypertension
Make an Appointment
Call to make an appointment with our service.
In addition to in-person visits, we now offer telemedicine visits via video or phone. Some appointments will still require you to be seen in-person, but your physician and care team will let you know if a telemedicine appointment is available.