Pulmonology
Breath is life. We should pay as much attention to it as any other aspect of beingness - Swami Nostradamus Virato
HWN Suggests
A thousand years of pulmonary medicine: good news and bad
Although many fundamental discoveries concerning anatomy and physiology were made during the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, most of the scientific underpinnings of modern pulmonary medicine were established during the last 150 years, and it appears that the pace of development of new scientific achievements and their clinical applications has picked up... Suffice it to say that each of the improvements represents the collective efforts of numerous laboratory scientists and clinical investigators. I can underscore the rapid pace of these advances by affirming that when I started in medicine half-a-century ago, many of these modalities had not yet been discovered, and those…
Articles of Interest
Clinical controversies in the management of acute pulmonary embolism...
Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a disease with a broad spectrum of clinical presentations. While some patients can be treated at home or may even be left untreated, other patients require an aggressive approach with reperfusion treatment.
COPD: A controversial disease?
COPD is today the most common chronic respiratory disease and a growing cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality, with many cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, metabolic and mental sequelae, some usually referred to as comorbidities. According to some authors, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is not a disease in the true sense of the word, but a very popular acronym.
Future Diagnostic Techniques in Pulmonology. A Change in Mindset
Unfortunaltely as pulmonologists, we not always have had at our fingertips all the information we need to confidently diagnose respiratory diseases. Despite all the advances, the combination of clinical and complementary criteria required for the diagnosis of many respiratory diseases still today present a margin of error that needs to be reduced. What can we expect in the reasonably immediate future?
Pulmonologist Burnout and the Pandemic: Realities and Coping Strategies
Among the vast range of challenges pulmonologists and other physicians are facing related to the pandemic, many are dealing with “moral injury” as a result of witnessing high numbers of patient deaths in the context of limited treatment options.
The Latest Breakthroughs in Pulmonology
In addition to disease management, pulmonologists work in multidisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive care for complex respiratory cases. Advances in therapies, such as occupational therapy and physical rehabilitation, have further expanded the scope of pulmonology.
What it’s like to specialize in pulmonology: Shadowing Dr. Patel
In my field, it’s often a challenge to know what is the “right” thing to do. I have to combine lung anatomy and physiology, my knowledge of the literature, and my clinical judgement. It takes listening well and being empathetic, and the more I do this, I am developing pattern recognition. I’ve helped children get severe asthma under control by realizing they had a learning deficit that made it hard to remember to take medicine.
Why I Chose an Interventional Pulmonology Fellowship
Interventional pulmonology includes advanced diagnostic and therapeutic modalities and pleural disease management. This unique blend of medical and procedural training captivated me. I was in awe of the immediate improvements in respiratory symptoms that patients reported after their central airway obstruction was alleviated. For patients who wanted to know their diagnosis prior to surgical lung resection, navigational bronchoscopy and radial EBUS have made diagnosing 1 cm pulmonary nodules possible.
