Pulmonology

Arterial blood gas (ABG) tests measure how much oxygen and carbon dioxide are in the blood and determine the acidity (pH) of the blood. In a process called gas exchange, your lungs move oxygen into your blood and push out carbon dioxide. This process is key to survival because every cell in our bodies needs oxygen. On the other hand, carbon dioxide is an acidic bodily waste, so too much can put your life on the line. This is where ABG testing comes into play — it measures how well your lungs routinely process gas exchange and double-check that your pH is healthy.

A BiPAP (Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure) machine offers your lungs the breath of fresh air they need when they're not strong enough to get it naturally. The small machine itself connects to a face mask with a tube. When you breathe in, the machine blows pressurized air through the face mask and into your lungs, helping them get the right amount of oxygen.

BiPAP machines have different pressure settings that can match your natural respiratory cycle. It is a helpful treatment option if you live with COPD, pneumonia, asthma, sleep apnea, and acute and chronic respiratory failure.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women but early detection and screening for lung nodules and cancer is key for survival. Our clinicians are experts in low-dose CT lung cancer screening and we are proud to offer this service to our qualifying patients.

The methacholine challenge test involves taking a deep breath of methacholine aerosol mist to gauge a person's natural response to the mist. MIC is performed with another test that measures your lung function before and after the challenge called spirometry. Asthma is considered present if lung function drops by at least 20%.

Lung function is very helpful to assess respiratory health and disease. Pulmonary function tests assess how well the lungs are performing. The tests measure lung volume, capacity, rates of flow, and gas exchange. Using our battery of tests, we can measure and assess your lung function, evaluate functional limitation and shortness of breath and aid your physician in uncovering the cause of respiratory symptoms.

Our laboratory and devices measure all aspects of your lung functions and exercise capacity. We perform spirometry, lung volumes, diffusing capacity and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. PFT is done through two methods: spirometry and plethysmography.

In our always-on-the-go world, few of us get enough sleep. The lack of sleep affects your mood and memory, leading to depression and cardiovascular issues. Sleep medicine looks at how you sleep, if there are any issues like sleep apnea or narcolepsy, and helps identify how to treat your condition to get you on the road to better, more restful sleep.

Bland aerosol therapy delivers a light medicinal mist into your lungs to relax your airway muscles. When these muscles relax, your body does a better job of breathing naturally and fighting infections. Aerosol therapy treats conditions that affect your airways, like allergies, asthma and a variety of pulmonary disorders.

Croup is an upper airway infection that restricts breathing and causes a barking cough. The cough results from swelling around the vocal cords, windpipe and bronchial tubes. Croup usually occurs in younger children and is typically caused by allergies, pulmonary conditions or viruses.

A croup tent works by enclosing you in thin, flexible plastic and blowing oxygen or regular air directly into the tent to relieve some respiratory conditions.

An incentive spirometer is a handheld device that helps you take slow deep breaths. It's commonly used after surgery or during recovery from pneumonia and other lung disorders like asthma.

Think of an incentive spirometer as a strength-training coach for your lungs – it helps you perform breathing exercises that strengthen your lungs the more you use it. Incentive spirometers are even proven to lower the risk of developing future lung complications.

Our team works together to provide you with ongoing care to the most critically ill and medically complex patients. Our staff is experienced in caring for patients with a broad range of illnesses, including sepsis and septic shock and respiratory failure due to pneumonia, asthma, COPD and acute respiratory distress.

Our MICU offers round-the-clock monitoring and the latest in state-of-the-art approaches, including mechanical ventilation, continuous hemodialysis, specialized endoscopy and other support measures, so you can feel confident that your loved one is receiving the best available treatment.

Your ability to breathe effectively is crucial for good health. If you have advanced lung disease and other conditions that cause prolonged respiratory failure or severe debility, we understand the challenges that these respiratory disorders can pose—and we do our best to help you overcome them. We are skilled in evaluating and treating people with advanced lung disease and those who may be recovering from acute illness.

Whenever possible, we work to wean you from dependence on mechanical ventilation to help you understand and cope with your respiratory challenges more independently and comfortably at home. In general, we teach you breathing retraining, relaxation techniques, and strength and endurance exercises to control symptoms and avoid the complications of respiratory disorders and diseases.

Medication is a safe way to manage your reactions and symptoms. Your doctor will mirror your medications to your asthma conditions and known allergy triggers.

An inhaler is a hand-held device that delivers medication to the lungs. It's typically used to treat asthma and pulmonary conditions like COPD. There are 2 main types of asthma inhalers:

• Metered dose inhaler (MDI): An MDI is a pressurized canister in a plastic case that delivers a prescribed puff of medicine into the lungs through a mouthpiece. A chemical propellant is used to push the medication out of the inhaler.
• Dry powder inhaler: This handheld device delivers only medication to the lungs when inhaled. That means, unlike MDIs, dry powder inhalers don't use chemical propellants or other ingredients as part of the inhaler.

Breathing is a natural activity we do without much thought, but it can become a big challenge when you're living with a condition that restricts your airflow. Oxygen therapy helps your body get the right amount of oxygen. There are two ways we supply oxygen therapy:

• In a metal cylinder that delivers oxygen to the lungs through a face mask
• Through a small tube that is inserted into the windpipe

If you live with allergies, asthma or other pulmonary conditions can find relief with oxygen therapy.