For the SMA-affected, even breathing can be a special task, and maintaining proper respiratory health is a necessity that requires great care and attention. Dr. Nanci Yuan, a Pediatric Pulmonologist and Sleep Medicine Clinical Associate Professor at the Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, has advice for caregivers who are seeking to provide optimal breathing conditions for their loved ones.

Dr. Yuan offers advice to parents who are considering the tracheostomy procedure, and recommends the qualities they should look for in the physician who will treat their child:

Dr. Yuan describes the benefits and accessibility of home-ventilation systems and offers insight on when and how they should be used. She also explains the benefits of exploring both invasive and non-invasive options with the child’s own physician:

Dr. Yuan shares her philosophy as a physician while discussing issues related to the use of cough-assist machines. She discusses functions of the machine and offers helpful suggestions for overcoming the ‘learning curve’ that has been attributed to its use:

Dr. Yuan addresses the complexities of the whole-body connection and explains how an SMA diagnosis could mean that the individual’s health will be affected in seemingly unexpected ways:

If you have questions or concerns about the information provided here, please contact FightSMA.

(Special thanks to Rich Bailey and Metro Video Productions.)