The Section of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center offers exceptional, comprehensive care for children.
Our team of experienced, highly trained physicians, nurses and respiratory therapist offer the full range of diagnosis and treatment for patients – from birth through adulthood.
Our Services
Our Team
Special Care for the Youngest Patients
Testing
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Prevention Program
Cystic Fibrosis Center
Our physicians employ their years of experience and access to the latest in diagnostic equipment and technology to treat children with chronic lung conditions, such as:
- Asthma – For patients with mild, moderate or severe asthma, we provide diagnosis and treatment and teach the patient and his/her family how to manage and control the disease.
- Cough – Patients with acute, long-lasting cough are often referred to our physicians for evaluation of this often difficult to diagnose problem.
- Chronic lung disease (CLD) or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) – We work with the Neonatal Intensive Care Units of Monmouth Medical Center and other local facilities to evaluate and treat premature infants who are at risk for developing long-term respiratory problems. For those babies who go home from the hospital on heart/respiratory monitors, we follow their progress and assist the patient’s neonatologist and/or pediatrician in their care.
- Cystic Fibrosis
Our team of caring, experienced medical professionals includes physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists with specialized training and capabilities, including:
Robert Zanni, MD, FAAP
Section Chief, Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine
Director, Cystic Fibrosis Center
Eduardo Sembrano, Jr., MD, FAAP
Pediatric Pulmonologist
May Truxal MSN, RNC, APRN-C, AE-C
Nurse Practitioner
Director of Pediatric Pulmonology at Monmouth since 1984, Dr. Zanni has been listed among the Best Doctors in America, included on NJ Monthly’s list of Top Docs and listed as a Top Pediatrician by the Consumer Research Council of America.
Dr. Zanni received his undergraduate degree at Villanova University and his medical degree from Autonomous University and completed the Fifth Pathway Program at College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Pediatric Residency training was at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch,NJ and subspecialty training in Pediatric Pulmonology was at Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Zanni is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a member of the NJ Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the New Jersey Thoracic Society and has held numerous positions with these organizations. He has received awards from organizations such as the American Lung Association, New Jersey Respiratory Care Society and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
An active author and researcher, Dr. Zanni has contributed to several medical study papers and texts and has led research efforts on a variety of topics.
Dr. Sembrano received his medical degree from the College of Medicine University of the Philippines and completed his Pediatric residency at Elmhurst Hospital Center under Mount Sinai Services and his Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and member of the American Thoracic Society, Dr. Sembrano has particular interest in the areas of pediatric asthma, chronic cough, chronic lung disease of infancy, fiberoptic bronchoscopy, pediatric pulmonary TB and recurrent stridor.
A very important part of the pulmonary medicine team, May is a National Asthma Certified educator, coordinates both the asthma treatment program and apnea monitor programs and is responsible for the management of our Respiratory Syncytial Virus prevention program, which includes the administration of Palizumab (Synagis®) vaccines for pre term infants.
May received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the Regents College of The University of the State of New York and her Masters of Science in Nursing from Monmouth University. She is a member of the American Nurses Association and the New Jersey State Nurses Association, is certified as both a family practice and pediatrics nurse and is a licensed Registered Nurse and Advanced Practice Nurse.
We are a comprehensive Pulmonology department that offers a variety of traditional and more sophisticated testing using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques, including:
- Impulse Oscillometry (IOS) – This unique testing system allows us to perform pulmonary function tests on young patients (3-5 year olds). This equipment supplements traditional lung function tests and enables physicians to get to the root of the problem faster, thus allowing more rapid diagnosis and treatment.
- Pulmonary Function Testing – For children ages 6 and older, this broad range of tests measure how well the lungs take in and exhale air and how efficiently they transfer oxygen into the blood.
- Bronchoscopy – Performed in our day stay unit and for children who are patients in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), this investigative procedure allows physicians to look into the patients upper and lower airways and assess the degree of lung disease.
- Exercise Challenge Tests – These tests help to determine if a patient has exercise induced asthma.
- Sleep Studies – Our pulmonology team works with the Monmouth Medical Center Sleep Disorders Center to conduct sleep studies that evaluate chronic sleep issues.
The Section of Pulmonary Medicine offers specialized care for children age two and under, including infant pulmonary function equipment that evaluates lung function issues such as asthma, chronic lung disease, acute and chronic cough, pneumonia and lung development issues related to prematurity. The availability of this equipment means that children can be diagnosed and treated sooner here than at other facilities that do not offer this type testing for young children.
Our Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Prevention Program is for preterm infants who are at highest risk for complications from RSV, a major cause of respiratory illness in young children. During peak RSV season, roughly November to April, our nurse practitioner administers a monthly injection of palivizumab (Synagis®), which contains RSV antibodies that help children combat the virus. Pediatricians and other physicians and hospitals from throughout the area refer patients to our department for treatment.
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