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Children, youth and families Healthcare providers
About the Sleep and Home Ventilation Clinic
CHEO’s Sleep and Home Ventilation Clinic is focused on the assessment and management of sleep-related breathing disorders (ex. obstructive sleep apnea), from birth to 18 years, particularly for children with complex medical and/or developmental histories.
We also see children with symptoms suggestive of narcolepsy such as excessive daytime sleepiness/severe difficulty staying awake during the day, despite appropriate amount of sleep at night. Note this is different than fatigue. These children may also be seen by CHEO’s Neurology team.
At this time we do not accept referrals for behavioural sleep and sleep pattern disorders, including:
- parasomnias (sleepwalking, sleep-talking, night terrors, etc.)
- insomnia (sleep-onset/difficulty falling asleep and/or sleep maintenance/difficulty staying asleep and frequent awakenings.)
- delayed sleep phase disorder (difficulty falling asleep until late at night, resulting in sleeping late in the morning. This is common among teens.)
For information that may be helpful to understand and manage these sleep problems, please see our Sleep Resources page.
For more information about CHEO’s Sleep Laboratory and sleep studies, visit CHEO’s Sleep Lab page.
About our team
Our team includes 3 Physicians, 2 Nurse Practitioners, and Respiratory Therapists with the Pulmonary Function Laboratory as well as the Home Ventilation Team. We have access to other disciplines as needed, including Asthma Educator/Advanced Practice Nurse, Social Worker, etc. We also work with other teams that provide support to our patients, including the Neurodevelopmental Health Team and the Autism Program.
Information for children, youth and families
| Before your appointment |
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Please sign up for a MyChart account, prior to your first visit. Our scheduling team will contact you by phone to schedule an appointment. If something changes and you need to reschedule your appointment, please let us know at least 24-48 hours in advance if you are unable to make it by calling 613-737-7600 x2222. We will make 3 attempts to contact you to arrange your appointment. If we do not receive a response, we will cancel the referral and inform the referring physician. Given our long waitlist, a no show (ie. not attending an appointment without informing us first) for a confirmed initial visit will result in cancellation of the referral. No-shows or frequent cancellations for follow-up appointments may result in discharge from the service. Please try to take a video of your child’s symptoms of concern (ex. snoring, gasping) and bring this to your appointment. Patients should avoid, if possible, using the following puffers the day of their appointment:
If your child has had X-rays or a CT scan of the chest done in a non-hospital X-ray lab in Ontario, anywhere in Quebec, or elsewhere, please arrange to get a CD with the images (or online access to the images) to bring to the appointment. A written description of the X-ray's findings is not enough. If your child has seen specialists outside CHEO, please bring a copy of these reports with you. If your child has been hospitalized or visited emergency departments in Quebec or elsewhere outside Ontario, please bring copies of all discharge summaries or reports with you, if possible. If your child has difficulty falling or staying asleep, please see our Sleep Resources page and implement healthy sleep hygiene strategies, prior to your appointment. If your child has autism, please attend the Foundational Family Services Sleep Solutions Workshop prior to your appointment. |
| What to expect during your appointment |
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We are located in Clinic C-9 on the main floor. Please plan to arrive 10-15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time in case there are delays with parking or finding the clinic and to complete any required paperwork that may be required in advance of your visit. If your child is on medications and/or inhaler devices (such as an Aerochamber) or other technologies (such as a BiPAP or CPAP machine, a suction machine or oxygen saturation monitor) please bring all of these with you. Remember to empty the water reservoir if applicable. First, vital signs will be taken by a nurse. If your child is 6 years of age or older and can cooperate, they may have a breathing (pulmonary function) test. Then you will be seen by a physician and/or a nurse practitioner. In general, you should expect to be here for 60-90mins for a new patient appointment, and 45-60mins for a follow-up appointment. Given our area of practice, urgent situations may arise unexpectedly. We appreciate your patience should we need to spend extra time with a patient ahead of you. We are a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Ottawa. As part of our commitment to the education of our future health care providers, learners of various levels and disciplines (ex. nursing students, medical students, medical residents, etc.) may be involved in your care. If your child needs more complex testing, such as a sleep study or exercise test, these will be booked separately. |
| After your appointment |
| A clinic team member will follow-up with you regarding the results of any testing ordered. This may be via MyChart message if you have registered, phone call, or we may arrange a follow-up visit. |
Frequently asked questions
| How can I make an appointment? |
| All patients must be referred by a Physician or Nurse Practitioner. After a referral is received, we will notify the referring Physician or Nurse Practitioner whether the referral has been accepted or denied, and if accepted we will provide an estimated/ideal wait time. The actual wait time, however, will vary based on demand and urgency. Once we have an appointment spot to offer, our Scheduling Team will reach you by phone to schedule an appointment. |
| Who should I contact if I am worried or have questions? |
| For any emergency, call 911. This includes emergencies involving your child’s Sleep-related concerns. For patients who are waiting for their first visit with the Sleep Clinic: Please call your family doctor, pediatrician or visit your nearest walk-in clinic for everything else. For patients who are being followed by the Sleep and Home Ventilation Clinic: For patients who have seen a CHEO Sleep Provider, call the Respirology Clinic Nurse, or send a direct message to them through MyChart. This is not for urgent calls. Our nurses are here to give support, education and will work to coordinate your child’s care. It may take 3-5 days for us to get back to you (and sometimes longer during holidays). We will return the most serious calls first. Please avoid leaving multiple messages for the same issue. |
| How long will the wait for service be? |
| Concerns about breathing during sleep are very common, and we receive a high volume of referrals. Unfortunately, this leads to a longer wait time than we would prefer. Depending on the severity of the symptoms reported in the referral, you can expect to wait 4-12 months for an initial appointment. Should symptoms worsen while you are awaiting your appointment, you can discuss with your physician who may send an update if appropriate. |
| What can I do while I’m waiting for my appointment? |
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If you are concerned about your child’s snoring and/or pauses in breathing, and your physician has prescribed a nasal steroid spray or a medication called montelukast, it is important to use this/these on a regular daily basis while awaiting your appointment. If this has not been prescribed, please consider discussing this option with them. This will help us decide on next steps once we see your child. It is important to know that these medications do not have an immediate effect, and you may not notice any effect for many weeks. If there are side effects of concern, please discuss these with your child’s physician to decide i the medication should be stopped. If your child’s symptoms resolve with this treatment, we ask that you cancel your referral to help keep space for those patients with ongoing symptoms. If your child has difficulty falling or staying asleep, please see our Sleep Resources page and implement healthy sleep hygiene strategies, prior to your appointment. If your child has autism, please attend the Foundational Family Services Sleep Solutions Workshop prior to your appointment. |
Looking for more resources or supports on sleep concerns in childhood?
Visit our Sleep resource and support page to find helpful websites, local contacts, videos and more.
Information for healthcare providers
The CHEO Sleep and Home Ventilation Clinic is focused on the assessment and management of breathing-related sleep disorders (ex. obstructive sleep apnea), from birth to 18 years, focused on those with complex medical and/or developmental histories.
Given prolonged wait times, referrals for otherwise healthy patients aged 14-18 years may not be accepted based on current referral volumes. For these patients, we recommend referral to either the Royal Ottawa Sleep Centre or West Ottawa Sleep Centre/MedSleep.
We also accept referrals for initial assessment of patients with symptoms raising concern for narcolepsy (ex. true hypersomnolence, ie. severe difficulty staying awake during the day, despite appropriate amount of sleep at night; sleep attacks, cataplexy, etc). You may also refer these patients to Neurology. If seen in Sleep Clinc, and diagnosed with Narcolepsy, patients will be referred to Neurology for further management. If narcolepsy (and sleep-related breathing disorders) are ruled out, care will be returned to the referring provider.
At this time we do not accept referrals for behavioural sleep disorders, including:
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parasomnias (sleepwalking/sleeptalking/night terrors)
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insomnia (sleep-onset and sleep maintenance)
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delayed sleep phase disorder
If your patient has any of the above sleep-related concerns, we recommend:
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Provide family with link to CHEO Sleep Resources page
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If patient has autism, suggest family attend the Foundational Family Services Sleep Solutions Workshop
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Champlain Base eConsult to Dr. H. Myron
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Or, if > 14yo referral to Royal Ottawa Sleep Centre or West Ottawa Sleep Clinic/MedSleep
If a patient has concerns of both sleep-disordered breathing, and other respiratory issue (ex. asthma) and you wish both to be addressed, please state this clearly in the referral. A separate referral to Respirology Clinic is not required. However, please make clear in the referral if you wish both to be addressed.
Sleep studies
For more information or to make a referral to CHEO’s Sleep Laboratory and sleep studies, visit CHEO’s Sleep Lab page.
If you want to refer to BOTH Sleep Clinic AND for a Sleep Study, BOTH forms must be completed. Note: waitlist and triage are separate.
Make a referral
Our clinic is now accepting e-referrals with Ocean!
If you’re already on Ocean, look us up via your account by searching "CHEO".
If you don’t yet have an Ocean account, no problem - signing up is free.
All patients must be referred by a Physician. You can make an e-referral using Ocean, or mail or fax the referral form to us.
Sleep and Home Ventilation Clinic referral form
| Referral criteria and eligibility | ||||||
| Referral criteria and eligibility:
Other information
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Contact us
Respirology Clinic (C-9), CHEO
401 Smyth Road
Ottawa, ON K1H 8Li
Fax: 613-738-4298
Main Clinic Reception (scheduling center) 613-737-7600 extension 2222
Our staff will not provide information to families of children or youth not already seen by a CHEO Respirologist. After your child has been seen, we encourage you to register for CHEO My Chart and contact us though there. You can reach the following members of our team through CHEO MyChart:
- Sleep Clinic Nurse Practitioner
- Home Ventilation Nurse Practitioner
- Home Ventilation/Complex Lung Disease Respiratory Therapist
- Respirology Clinic Nurse-Coordinator
- Asthma Educator