Aerodigestive Clinic

Our Aerodigestive Clinic is the only one in the Southwest that offers comprehensive, coordinated care for children with aerodigestive disorders. These issues affect swallowing, breathing and feeding. The multidisciplinary clinic brings together a team of the right pediatric specialists to meet each child’s unique needs. Our goal is to treat the issue and eventually wean your child off tube, or enteral, feeding so they can feed orally, if possible.

We care for conditions from the routine to the rare and offer advanced treatment options, including airway reconstruction. To ensure your child gets the best care for their condition, experts in these areas of medicine team up in our clinic:

• Gastroenterology
• Pulmonology
• Otolaryngology, also called ear, nose and throat (ENT)
• Nutrition
• Psychology
• Speech-language pathology

Each of these specialists has advanced training and experience working with children who have aerodigestive and other gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.

Aerodigestive care is complex because several body systems are involved. The team approach at Phoenix Children’s makes our clinic unique. And the collaboration ensures your child receives all the care they need – all in one place. 

Other aspects of our program also make it one-of-a-kind:

• Specialized diagnostic testing
• Access to pediatric experts in all subspecialty areas
• A focus on family-centered care
• Varied treatment options

Families travel from throughout the United States and other countries to receive care from our aerodigestive specialists. Our dedicated nurse coordinators ensure a smooth process for your child’s treatment, no matter where your family lives. We’ll be with you every step of the way along the care journey.

At Phoenix Children’s, it’s our mission to provide outstanding, personalized care and allow your child to be actively involved. Together, we can help them have their best possible quality of life. Later, as your child reaches early adulthood, we’ll help your family with a smooth transition to a quality adult provider.

Medically Complex Disorders

Our experts treat even the most complex issues of the esophagus, airway, lungs and upper digestive tract. We also care for children with sleep and feeding disorders. Our clinic offers a variety of treatment options, both surgical and non-invasive.

Many of our patients have symptoms in several areas of the body, which requires expertise in each area. That’s why our Aerodigestive Clinic combines the specialty areas of gastroenterology, pulmonology, ENT, nutrition and others. No matter how complex your child’s condition, we put together the right team to find solutions that will address your child’s whole health.

To learn if your child could be helped in our clinic, ask your child’s doctor for a referral or contact us directly at 602-933-2117.

Research at Phoenix Children’s is leading the way in advancing aerodigestive care. The best minds in pediatric GI research are teaming up with ENT and airway experts to stay at the forefront of care excellence and treatment options.

We look at all symptoms  so we can address the patient’s whole health, rather than treating each symptom on its own.

Phoenix Children’s is involved in a long-term research project as well as other research studies. These opportunities may allow your child to receive a new type of treatment well before other patients across the country. One key area of study is motility, which is the movement of food through the GI tract.

Another area of study is chronic dysphagia and aspiration in children, which is a major cause of pediatric feeding disorders and gastrostomy tube placement. This research centers around ideal methods to wean from tube feedings.