Pulmonology is a medical specialty that deals with diseases of the respiratory tract.
Specializing in the following disease states:
- COPD
- Asthma
- Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Sarcoidosis
- Interstitial lung disease
- Sleep disordered breathing
- Cough
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Pulmonary vasculitis
Disease specific treatments:
- Xolair – allergic asthma injection
- Nucala – eosinophilic asthma injection
- CPAP management
- Pulmonary fibrosis oral therapy
Procedures:
- Bronchoscopy
- Endobronchial ultrasound guided biopsies (lymph nodes, masses)
- Navigational bronchoscopy
- Thoracentesis
- Chest tube placement
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
The Breathing Easy Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program
The Pulmonary Rehabilitation program at Meadville Medical Center is dedicated to helping you breathe better while at the same time improving your overall health and strength. The program is run by our team of medical professionals who are specially trained to treat people with lung disease. With our team’s assistance, you will learn more about your existing condition while gaining the skills necessary to manage it. This nine-week program consists of two sessions per week.
Who Will Benefit?
People who experience difficulty breathing due to a variety of lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, COPD, pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis will benefit from pulmonary rehab services. Patients who have had lung transplant surgery or lung volume reduction surgery will also benefit from the Breathing Easy Program before and after the procedure.
Our Goal
It is our goal to assist you in being able to do all of the things you would like to do without having the shortness of breath. This will be accomplished through a combination of education and exercise.
Education Topics Include:
- Breathing Techniques
- How Your Lungs Function
- Nutrition and Diet
- Medications
- Dealing with Change and Loss
- 8 Ways to Conserve Energy
- Stress and Relaxation
- Setting and Achieving Goals
- How to Exercise at Home
Exercise Sessions
Through the use of upper and lower body equipment, we are able to improve each person’s exercise capacity and ability to perform normal activities of daily living and decrease the feeling of breathlessness. Exercise sessions are individually tailored depending on the results of a pulmonary function test that is completed prior to entering the program. An individualization exercise program based on the results of the initial evaluation is designed to improve your body’s ability to use oxygen and increase endurance. The program uses several exercise options including:
- Treadmills
- Stationary bicycles
- Arm ergometers
- Resistance training
- Stretching to improve endurance
Throughout the sessions, our staff will supervise your progress and make adjustments to the exercise program as needed.
