Respiratory & Pulmonary Care
Breathe easier with specialty care from PIH Health. Our lung and respiratory experts go above and beyond to care for you.
Conditions We Treat
Turn to PIH Health for specialty care of conditions affecting your chest cavity and respiratory system, including:
Lung & Breathing Experts
Depending on your needs, your lung care team may include:
- Pulmonary function technician – Performs tests to see how well your lungs are working
- Pulmonologist – Specializes in caring for the respiratory system
- Respiratory therapist – Helps diagnose and treat breathing conditions
- Thoracic surgeon – Performs chest and lung surgery
Coordinated Care
If you’re managing multiple health conditions, depend on PIH Health for the most complete care for your specific situation. Expect your pulmonary care team to work closely with heart and vascular specialists to provide comprehensive care for the heart, blood vessels, lungs and organs and bones in the chest.
Diagnostic Services
Depend on your respiratory and pulmonary care team for an accurate diagnosis—so you can get the care you need. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may recommend:
- Bronchoscopy – Uses a thin, lighted tube to look at your airways and treat some conditions
- Imaging tests – Take pictures of the inside of your body
- Lab tests – Check your blood or other bodily fluids for signs of disease
- Lung biopsy – Removes a few cells from your lungs so they can be examined in a lab
- Mediascopy – Examines the space behind between your lungs using a thin, flexible tube (mediastinoscope)
- Pulmonary function tests – Show how well your lungs work
- Six-minute walk test – Asks you to walk at a comfortable pace for six minutes to check your aerobic capacity and endurance
Detect Lung Cancer Early
If you’re at high risk for lung cancer, you may benefit from regular screening exams at PIH Health. Learn about low-dose CT lung cancer screenings.
Nonsurgical Treatments
Depending on your needs, preferences and goals, your care plan may include:
- Asthma treatments, such as inhalers, nebulizers and medications – Help prevent or control asthma symptoms
- Bronchoscopy – Uses a thin, lighted tube to look at your airways and treat some conditions
- Chest physical therapy – Clears airways of mucus
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) – Delivers 100 percent oxygen while you are in a special pressurized chamber
- Medications – Help prevent or relieve symptoms
- Oxygen therapy – Provides extra oxygen through a nose tube or mask
- Thoracic surgery – Uses surgery to treat chest and lung conditions
- Ventilators – Help move air in and out of your lungs
Pediatric Asthma Care
If your child has asthma, lean on pediatricians at PIH Health. You’ll learn how to help your child manage the condition so they can enjoy everyday activities.
Thoracic & Lung Surgeries
When surgery is the best treatment for your condition, trust doctors with experience in:
- Decortication – Removes tissue to allow your lung to expand more freely
- Lung resection – Removes all or part of a lung
- Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) - Removes the damaged area of your lung
- Pleurodesis – Helps keep lungs inflated and prevent fluid build-up by helping the lung stick to the chest
- Trachea and esophagus surgery
Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS)
Your PIH Health surgeon may use a minimally invasive technique called video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) to diagnose or treat your condition. When your procedure can be performed using VATS instead of a traditional, open approach, you may recover more quickly.
One-of-a-Kind Lung Surgery
Access a revolutionary lung surgery technique that’s performed only at PIH Health. This technique was developed by our medical director, Eduardo A. Tovar, MD, FACS. It uses tiny surgical instruments to reach the lungs through a small opening between two ribs. That means you benefit from less pain and faster recovery. Most patients go home the same day they have the surgery.
