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OtolaryngologyPediatric Airway Reconstruction | Meet the Team
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Meet Our Airway Reconstruction Specialists
Alessandro de Alarcon, MD, MPH
What is your area of specialty within airway reconstruction?
My areas of specialty are management of subglottic stenosis, vocal cord paralysis, complete tracheal rings, laryngotracheal esophageal cleft, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, and voice problems following airway reconstruction as well as coordinated esophageal reconstruction. My areas of research interest encompass outcomes and specifically voice outcomes and the improvement of voice following airway reconstruction. Much of my surgical expertise is in complex voice and airway reconstruction.
What first interested you in this field of surgery?
The complex anatomy of the head and neck area and its relationship to function was what got me initially interested in surgery. The marrying of medical management and surgical management in the care of patients was what ultimately brought me into otolaryngology.
What keeps you energized to care for these patients?
I really love the ability to completely change the trajectory of a child in life, where we take them from one pathway and redirect them to another.
What advice do you give parents when they come to you for help for their child?
We will always work with them to find what is best for their child.
What makes the Airway Team at Cincinnati Children’s different?
We have assembled a stellar team with overlap but subspecialization. All of us are capable, talented surgeons, but we have some differences in our focus so we try to match family and surgeon.
Catherine K. Hart, MD
What is your area of specialty within airway reconstruction?
I specialize in both primary and revision airway reconstruction for all forms of airway stenosis. I have a particular interest in treating children with CHARGE syndrome.
What first interested you in this field of surgery?
I first became interested in airway reconstruction when I was a resident here at the University of Cincinnati. Being part of the team that repaired children’s airways and watching kids either breathe more easily or get their trach tubes removed was incredibly rewarding.
What keeps you energized to care for these patients?
There are many rewarding aspects but being able to give a child a safe airway that allows them to breathe comfortably is a big one.
What advice do you give parents when they come to you for help for their child?
One of the most important things is establishing with a family early on that this is a partnership and that their input is essential for our team to successfully treat their child. It can sometimes be a long process and we work better when the family is part of the team.
What makes the Airway Team at Cincinnati Children’s different?
As one of the first children’s hospitals to have an airway team, we’ve got decades of experience and have built a truly multidisciplinary team that covers all aspects of a child’s care—not just the airway.
Charles M. Myer IV, MD
What is your area of specialty within airway reconstruction?
My specialty within airway reconstruction is treatment of glottic and subglottic stenosis, including vocal fold immobility and paralysis. As the ENT provider for the Hemangioma and Vascular Malformation Center, I also manage patients who have airway obstruction secondary to the hemangiomas and vascular malformations. I have a special interest in patients who have voice and swallowing difficulties.
What first interested you in this field of surgery?
I became interested in this field of surgery with the exposure from my father, who is also an ENT specialist, when I saw the impact and positive difference in patient and family lives he was able to achieve.
What keeps you energized to care for these patients?
I am energized by the relationship that I establish with each patient and their family. I am privileged to work with these families to help them achieve a better quality of life.
What advice do you give parents when they come to you for help for their child?
I emphasize that we will work together as a team.
What makes the Airway Team at Cincinnati Children’s different?
The Airway Team at Cincinnati Children’s is unique in the compassionate and coordinated care that we strive to deliver. We work to treat the child and family as a whole, and not a set of isolated organ systems. This extends from the combined clinic and OR visits, and the open communication between providers.
Michael J. Rutter, MD
What is your area of specialty within airway reconstruction?
Complete tracheal rings, laryngeal clefts, revision surgery, adult airway, aspiration management, TEFs (tracheoesophageal fistula).
What first interested you in this field of surgery?
The cutting edge stuff you have to make up as you go along. It’s not in a textbook, and I am not good at reading textbooks!
What keeps you energized to care for these patients?
I am still innovating, and still feel that I can make a difference.
What advice do you give parents when they come to you for help for their child?
We are not perfect, but at least we have seen most things, including most complications, so we are good at managing most things. And we have a very good team.
What makes the Airway Team at Cincinnati Children’s different?
We are different in that we deliver interdisciplinary care from a group of people who work really well together, mainly as we all respect each other.
Matthew M. Smith, MD
Amy Saalfeld Myer, MSN, APRN, CNP
What is your area of specialty within airway reconstruction?
I am a pediatric nurse practitioner involved in the care of otolaryngology patients in the outpatient setting.
What first interested you in this field of surgery?
I began my nurse practitioner career in primary pediatrics. I quickly realized my passion lied in caring for patients with complex and challenging diagnoses. My ability to think about the big picture and piece together the impact of one system on another allows me to facilitate care and evaluations that address the whole child.
What keeps you energized to care for these patients?
Working with complex ENT airway patients as their primary nurse practitioner allows me to provide continuity of care. I follow each new patient from the intake, to the evaluation, through the treatment plan. It is very rewarding to be an integral piece to better the care for the child and improve their quality of life.
What advice do you give parents when they come to you for help for their child?
Meeting our entire team can be overwhelming because it’s so big. Always remember, you know your child best. We value your input and want you to share in the decision making. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
What makes the Airway Team at Cincinnati Children’s different?
At Cincinnati Children’s, patient referrals come from all over the world. The number of airway surgeries at Cincinnati Children’s exceeds every other institution in the world. Our team collaborates with key partners to ensure each child’s unique characteristics and needs are considered in the plan of care development. Families are comforted by the fact that we have seen and successfully treated many other children with similar diagnoses.
Cheryl Brumbaugh, MSN, APRN, CNP
What is your area of specialty within airway reconstruction?
I am an inpatient nurse practitioner on our airway unit (the only dedicated airway unit in the country). I came from a private pediatrician practice, and loved the continuity of care and the relationships I built with families.
What first interested you in this field of surgery?
After working in general pediatrics, I was motivated to move to a subspecialty that helped children with airway issues. In my practice two of my patients had tracheotomies. I wanted to do more than primary care. I wanted to be more involved in the reconstruction process.
What keeps you energized to care for these patients?
I love knowing that we are the “BEST” at airway reconstruction. We have a wonderful team that is open, caring, and always wants what is best for our children and their families. When families come for a second opinion it is wonderful to know that we are giving an opinion that is in the best interest of the child and their families.
What advice do you give parents when they come to you for help for their child?
I tell families that they know their child the best and I listen to their concerns and needs. It is important that we treat the child and their unique needs as I would want my child to be treated.
What makes the Airway Team at Cincinnati Children’s different?
We see children from all over the world. This diverse population allows us to be open and encompass each family’s unique need. I think our airway unit is a special place because of the confidence of the staff. This allows families to know they are not alone in their airway concerns. I have had numerous families say how nice it is when they say “my child has complete tracheal rings” and our staff is knowledgeable and confident in their child’s condition and care for that diagnosis.
Janet Germann, MSN, APRN, CNP
What is your area of specialty within airway reconstruction?
I work with children as well as adults. I enjoy the long-term care with these families.
What first interested you in this field of surgery?
I enjoy caring for adults and children and families dealing with chronic complex issues, helping them achieve the quality of life that they desire. I found that ENT, along with airway, was an area where I could practice this interest.
What keeps you energized to care for these patients?
I am energized when I get to help patients and families maintain the best quality of life possible, facilitate and address immediate needs as well as long-term needs, and offer advice and ideas to help resolve issues.
What advice do you give parents when they come to you for help for their child?
Our team and I can help best if patients and families are open and honest about issues they are dealing with and the care they are giving. When we have this information we can best help advocate to meet their needs.
What makes the Airway Team at Cincinnati Children’s different?
We work as a team, not just within our own department but also with other disciplines to address the aerodigestive needs of the patient. What makes us different are the complexity of patients we see, the volume we see, our goal to figure out the problem and address it, and our ability to be flexible and develop creative solutions.
Connie Martin, MSN, APRN, CNP
What is your area of specialty within airway reconstruction?
In both the inpatient and outpatient areas of Otolaryngology, I am a pediatric nurse practitioner who assists in the care and management of the complex airway population.
What first interested you in this field of surgery?
My interests have always been in the care of children. Initially, I began working with children with complex diagnoses who had undergone surgical interventions. As I have continued in my career, my interests have grown in the areas of ENT and the Aerodigestive program to include the postoperative care of the child, as well as the ongoing health maintenance of that child. I realized that in order to effectively care for the child, I must include the care and well-being of the entire family to ensure future success.
What keeps you energized to care for these patients?
I often experience great rewards through the successes of my ENT patients, however great or small. To know that through my management and care I assisted in accomplishing a patient’s goal is exciting.
What advice do you give parents when they come to you for help for their child?
I am an ally when it comes to the advocacy of their child. I will always speak up and represent the best interest of their child throughout their ENT and/or Aerodigestive program process to the best of my ability.
What makes the Airway Team at Cincinnati Children’s different?
We have experience in treating and managing children with very complex diagnoses. We not only address the airway concern but also, in collaboration with the different services within the Aerodigestive program, we care for whole child. What also makes this Airway Team different is that we provide a point person for families (nurse practitioners and/or RN’s) to help navigate through the Aerodigestive process in the hopes of alleviating some stress experienced when coming into a new environment.
Sarah Vitolo, MSN, CNP
What is your area of specialty within airway reconstruction?
I am a family nurse practitioner involved in the management and care of pediatric and adult otolaryngology patients in the outpatient setting.
What first interested you in this field of surgery?
I have worked with pediatric patients for my entire nursing career. I have always been fascinated by the collaborative management of chronic, complex medical conditions. Our ENT and Aerodigestive programs allow for collaboration with numerous specialties to effectively care for the entirety of my patients, with quality of life always being a priority.
What keeps you energized to care for these patients?
At Cincinnati Children’s we see some of the most complex medical diagnoses from around the world. Getting to perform the initial intake on these patients and follow them through their entire care here is extremely uplifting.
What advice do you give parents when they come to you for help for their child?
When your child is here for their evaluation it can be very overwhelming. Do not be afraid to ask questions. We are here to care and advocate for you and your child.
What makes the Airway Team at Cincinnati Children’s different?
We treat a very diverse patient population. We perform more airway surgeries at Cincinnati Children’s than any other institution in the world. Our team collaborates with key partners to ensure each child’s plan of care is unique to their characteristics and needs. Families are comforted by the fact that we have seen and successfully treated many other children with similar diagnoses. We provide a primary point of contact for each patient to ensure continuity of care.
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