General Pulmonary Services

Pulmonologists are sub-specialty experts in the care of patients with lung problems such as recurrent bronchitis/pneumonia, chronic sputum production or cough, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary blood clots (pulmonary embolism), pulmonary hypertension and many others. Normal breathing should never consume any of our attention but when you can’t breathe it is all you think about. Shortness of breath is one of the main symptoms that a pulmonologist gets consulted about. The work up can be quite complex as it includes determining the health of not only the lungs, but the airways of the lungs, the pulmonary arteries of the lungs, and also how the heart works with the lungs. The actual sensation of being short of breath is less determined by your oxygen level but more so by your carbon dioxide level. It is also tied to how much work it requires for your body to” move” your lungs. It is the “work of breathing” that determines your sensation of being short of breath.   If your airways are obstructed like with asthma or COPD and it’s hard to breath out then you are short of breath. If your lungs are stiff either from fibrosis or from fluid or from pneumonia you have a hard time moving them because of their stiffness or weight and then you are short of breath.  So, we try to differentiate all aspects of the pulmonary and cardiac system that can increase the work of breathing and can cause low oxygen levels to determine why someone is short of breath. We start with a thorough 60-minute history and physical in the clinic with accompanying exercise oximetry and spirometry for our initial consultation. We insist on seeing all of our pulmonary patients in person as a telemedicine appointment will limit our full assessment.