The Chest Centre (Respirology)

As of Monday, January 23, 2023, Michael Garron Hospital’s Chest Centre has moved to T2 in the new Ken and Marilyn Thomson Patient Care Centre. The Thomson Centre is located on MGH’s campus at the corner of Coxwell and Sammon Avenues.

The Chest Centre at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) is a multi-disciplinary clinic that cares for patients with lung and chest diseases. Our services include:

• Broad diagnostic testing.
• Sleep studies.
• Minor surgeries.

Our clinic has Lung Specialists (Respirologists) and Chest Surgeons (Thoracic Surgeons). Our team works together to offer personalized care for our patients.

The Chest Centre Sleep Lab is for sleep disordered breathing. An example is sleep apnea.

Our Time to Treat program is for urgent assessments of suspected lung cancer.

The Minor Procedure Suite is for minor surgery for lung diseases affecting the chest wall and fluid collections between the lung and chest wall.

You need a physician referral for these programs and services. Please click here if you are a referring physician.

Our Services

• Breathing tests (pulmonary function tests [PFTs]).
• Bronchoscopy camera testing.
• Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET).
• Chest imaging (chest x-rays, CT scans, and ultrasounds).
• Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (EBUS-TBNA).
• Exercise challenge testing.
• Home oxygen assessment.
• Lung biopsy.
• Methacholine challenge test.
• Sleep studies.

Click here to learn more about thoracic surgery at MGH.

REFERRALS

We now accept eReferrals from Primary Care!  Find us on the OCEAN Health Map.

Ocean eReferral Sign up

If you are a primary care provider and want to sign up for OCEAN eReferral, complete the online quick form or email @email.

Your Visit

Some appointments may be virtual (through telephone or video). Click here if you have a virtual appointment with The Chest Centre.

If you are scheduled for an in-person appointment, please:

• Come to the Chest Centre 30 minutes before your appointment.
• Bring these items with you:
  • Your health card.
  • A list of medications you are taking.
  • Your puffers.
• Register in the Patient Registration Department when you come to the hospital for your appointment. Patient Registration is located on the first floor on M1 in the Ken and Marilyn Thomson Patient Centre.
• Check in at the Chest Centre after you have registered at the Patient Registration Department. The Chest Centre is located on T2.
• Have someone available by phone or bring an interpreter if you need language translation.

Different appointment types take different amounts of time:

• Clinic appointment: Plan for 2 hours.
• Breathing test: Plan for 1 hour.
• Chest x-ray or CT scan: Plan for 1 hour.
• Bloodwork testing: Plan for 1 hour.
• Methacholine or exercise test: Plan for 1.5 hours.
• Bronchoscopy: Plan for 4 hours.
• CT-guided lung biopsy: Plan for 6 hours.

If you need to cancel or change an appointment, please let us know 48 hours before your appointment time. We will not reschedule missed sleep studies that were previously confirmed.

While we try to stay on schedule, your appointment time may be delayed if the clinic is very busy.

Click here for COVID-19 information for patients and visitors coming to MGH.

learning modules and Patient Resources

• Your Guide to Quit Smoking
• Adult inpatient tracheostomy care team information sheet
• Learning modules related to tracheostomy care and caring for an individual requiring long-term ventilation - Offered by Westpark Long Term Ventilation Centre of Excellence
• Learning modules related to respiratory complications and treatment including non-invasive ventilation for individuals with neuromuscular disease or spinal cord injury - Offered by CANVent (Canadian Alternatives in Noninvasive Ventilation)