At Brigham and women’s Pulmonary Associates at Care New England, you gain access to top-quality providers, services, advanced technology, and innovative treatments. Patients work with a multidisciplinary team of pulmonologists and specialists from across Care New England to address their condition or situation.
Conditions treated include:
Patients who require surgery benefit from an integrated collaboration with the Care New England Pulmonary Medicine team and other specialists at Care New England. Pulmonary and critical care medicine services are provided in the outpatient setting or inpatient at Kent Hospital where strict attention is given to infection control while working to provide a care plan to address a diagnosis.
Conditions treated include:
Care New England provides some of the best regional care for patients with tumors and cancer, including lung cancer. We are dedicated to educating patients about their specific disease and treatment options so they can make informed decisions. The Lung Health, Lung Cancer Screening & Lung Nodule Clinic provides a comprehensive approach to addressing concerns for these patients from medical treatment to tobacco use cessation.
Conditions treated include:
Pulmonary vascular disease encompasses a broad group of conditions that affect the blood vessels between the lungs and the heart.
Some of these diseases include:
Care New England has a comprehensive and well-integrated network of providers to provide care and treatment for patients with pulmonary vascular disease. Providers from Brigham and Women’s Cardiovascular Associates at Care New England and Brigham and Women’s Thoracic Surgery Associates at Care New England work with their pulmonary and sleep medicine colleagues at Care New England to ensure coordinated and comprehensive care.
Learn more about treatment options:
Thoracic Surgery
Vascular Clinic at Kent Hospital
The Pulmonary Medicine team at Care New England offers a special multidisciplinary team of physicians, surgeons, and nurses to care for our sickest patients, including those in respiratory failure.
The experienced team provides a full range of advanced respiratory care, from ventilator and oxygenation support to lung transplantation surgery.
The transplant surgical team supports patients throughout the transplant process. The collaboration with other Care New England medical services, including with the Brigham and Women’s Thoracic Surgery Associates at Care New England, provides patients and their families and care experience that involves full engagement, communication, and compassion.
Our team also has access to extensive ancillary services to help support patients through the management of their disease, including outpatient rehabilitation programs through Kent Hospital.
Conditions that may lead to End Stage Respiratory Disease include:
What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic lung condition that involves the airways. Something triggers the airways to swell and inflamed and become narrow. The muscles tighten, and the airways become too narrow so that air can't move in and out of your lungs.
Risk factors
There are no exact causes, but there may be inherited factors or environmental triggers. Some might include dust, pollen, or smoke, or such conditions as a respiratory infection or gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Symptoms
Call 911 or receive emergency assistance if the following symptoms occur during an asthma flare-up:
Tests and Treatment
Diagnosis is accomplished by an examination by a physician of:
Tests might include:
There are ways to manage asthma, including avoiding triggers and exercising moderately, but there are also medications that can be prescribed:
Fast-acting medications
Long-term medications
What is bronchitis?
Bronchitis is inflammation of the breathing tubes called bronchi. The inflammation causes too much mucus buildup where it does not drain from the lining of the airway, which can cause infections. Bronchitis is categorized as acute or chronic.
The condition is considered chronic if there are a cough and mucus for at least three months during two consecutive years.
Risk factors
Smoking cigarettes or other products is a key cause, but it can also be caused by air pollution or the work environment. It also can be accompanied by another lung disease such as:
Symptoms
In severe instances of chronic bronchitis, symptoms such as blue fingernails, lips or skin, swollen feet, or heart failure may occur
Diagnosis
A full examination will have to be done by a provider.
Tests and treatment
Tests might include:
Other tests might include a CT scan, x-ray, pulse oximetry, Nasal Nitric Oxide measurement, or a blood test.
Treatment may include lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, more exercise, hydration, diet, and vaccines, including the pneumococcal vaccine against pneumonia.
There are several medications:
What are Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Emphysema?
It is a broad range of diseases, that includes emphysema, where air sacs, called alveoli, become:
The damage cannot be reversed. Holes are created in the tissues of the lower lung.
Risk factors
Symptoms
Other symptoms might include:
Diagnosis
An examination is required, but some tests ordered may include:
Other tests might include a CT scan, x-ray, blood tests, electrocardiogram, or a sputum culture.
Treatment
What is cryptogenic organizing pneumonia?
This condition is a form of pneumonia when the small airways, also called bronchioles, the air sacs, or alveoli, and the walls of the small bronchi are inflamed. If untreated it can cause hospitalization. The causes of this disease are unknown.
Instances of this condition are higher in individuals diagnosed with inflammatory diseases such as:
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Medication
What is cystic fibrosis?
Cystic fibrosis is a condition where mucus builds up throughout the body and damages several bodily systems, including the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. It is life-threatening and often is diagnosed in childhood. Caused by a mutation of a gene, it cannot be cured. Due to research and improved healthcare methods, patients are living longer lives with better quality of life.
Risk factors
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease. The genes have to come from both parents. Testing is recommended for anyone with a family history.
Symptoms
Diagnosis
It is normally diagnosed through screening at birth, but there are several tests that can be done during childhood:
Treatment and procedures
There is no cure for cystic fibrosis.
There are ways to manage the symptoms of cystic fibrosis for patients to live longer and have a better quality of life, including managing respiratory conditions associated with the disease through exercise, medication, antibiotics, and physical therapy, as well as through diet, nutrition, and surgery.
What is interstitial lung disease?
Interstitial Lung Disease refers to a broad group of more than 200 different lung disorders that cause lung inflammation or scarring or fibrosis. Common symptoms include shortness of breath and a persistent dry cough.
Interstitial lung disease can be classified into idiopathic interstitial types of pneumonia, which has no known cause, those associated with connective tissue diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and those related to environmental and occupational exposures to substances like asbestos, etc.
Risk factors
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Lung scarring is permanent, but the symptoms can be managed in order to improve lung function.
There are several treatment options:
What is sarcoidosis?
Sarcoidosis is a disease that can cause inflammation and occurs in the lungs and lymph nodes. It can also occur in other organs of the body.
Sarcoidosis in the lungs causes small lumps of inflammatory cells in the lungs called granulomas. This has an impact on lung function, but they can heal on their own, but they can also remain inflamed, and scarring then occurs, which is called fibrosis.
Risk factors
There are no known causes, but bacteria, chemicals, viruses, or other environmental factors may cause the disease, as well as genetic factors.
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment and procedures
What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is an infection of one or both of the lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, or a fungus. The air sacs fill with pus and other liquid.
Pneumonia can be categorized in two different ways:
The complications associated with pneumonia include:
Risk factors
The risks associated with having pneumonia are based on which type of pneumonia a patient has. There are more than 30 different types, but the main variations of pneumonia are:
Symptoms
Bacterial pneumonia:
Viral pneumonia
Mycoplasma pneumonia
Various symptoms, which might include a cough that propels produces mucus or sputum.
Diagnosis
Treatment and procedures
The treatment used depends on the type of pneumonia a patient has. Bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics, as well as some cases of mycoplasma pneumonia. Viral pneumonia does not have any specific treatment, but it heals on its own.
Additional steps such as oxygen therapy, fluid intake, sleep, pain medication, and nutrition can be used to assist in recovery.
Prevention
The flu is a common cause of pneumonia, so getting a flu shot every year can help prevent both the flu and pneumonia.
There are also two pneumococcal vaccines, which can protect from a common form of bacterial pneumonia. Children younger than age 5 and adults ages 65 and older are encouraged to get a pneumococcal vaccine.
The pneumococcal vaccine is also recommended for those who are at greater risk for pneumococcal disease because of other health concerns.
What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic bacterial disease that can infect various organs and parts of the body, including the lungs, kidneys, spine, and brain. It is an airborne disease that can be spread from person to people, such as through coughing or sneezing. It can also cause an infection after a period of time in a person who was infected in the past.
Tuberculosis can be fatal or cause severe complications if untreated.
Risk factors
There are also diseases and health conditions that also weaken the immune system and can cause a patient to be susceptible to obtaining tuberculosis:
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment and procedures
Some treatment may hospitalization and medication and, if not treated early, may require surgery.
Treatment includes:
Medication
Surgery
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