Respirology Clinic

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.  No-shows or frequent cancellations may result in discharge from the service. 

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. 

We are located in Clinic C-9 on the main floor of CHEO’s main campus (401 Smyth Road). 

In general, you should expect to be here for 60-90 minutes for a new patient appointment, and 45-60 minutes 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.  

CHEO is 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 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. 

If your child is 6 years of age or older and can cooperate with the test, they will likely have a pulmonary function test (measuring their lungs by breathing into a computer) during the visit. If your child needs more complex testing, such as a sleep study or exercise test, these will be booked for a later date.  

Patients should avoid, if possible, using the following medications before their visit to Respirology Clinic: 

• salbutamol (Ventolin – blue inhaler) for 4 hours prior  

• terbutaline (Bricanyl – white and blue inhaler) for 6 hours prior
• fluticasone/salmeterol (Advair – purple inhaler) for 12 hours prior  
• mometasone/formoterol (Zenhale – dark blue inhaler) for 12 hours prior  
• budesonide/formoterol (Symbicort – red bottom inhaler) for 12 hours prior   
• formoterol (Oxeze – green bottom inhaler) for 12 hours prior  
• salmeterol (Serevent  – green inhaler) for 12 hours prior  
• fluticasone/vilanterol (Breo – white & blue inhaler) for 12-24 hours prior  
• tiotropium (Spiriva – grey/turquoise inhaler) for 24 hours prior 
• formoterol (Oxeze – green bottom inhaler) for 12 hours prior
• Ipratropium (Atrovent – white and green inhaler) for 6 hours prior 

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.  

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 wait time.  This wait time can vary based on demand and urgency.  Once we have an appointment spot to offer, our Scheduling Team will reach out by phone to schedule an appointment. 

Breathing problems 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. 

For any emergency, call 911.  This includes emergencies involving your child’s respirology problem. 

Our clinic has an extremely limited ability to see children on an emergency basis. If your child is either being referred for a respiratory emergency, or is already followed by the Respirology Clinic and is suddenly unwell, we recommend you bring your child to an emergency department, or, if it’s less urgent, communicate with your community physician. 

For emergency situations, do not contact the Respirology Clinic by MyChart.