The Respiratory System
The respiratory system is the complex network of organs and muscles that allow us to breathe. The nose, mouth, throat, voice box, windpipe (trachea) and lungs are all part of the system that is hard at work every moment of your life.
Keeping your lungs healthy is an important part of your overall health. From pulmonary rehabilitation to sleep studies and asthma care, AnMed is close at hand and ready to serve you.
Lung Conditions We Treat
- Asthma – Disease causing the airways to narrow
- Bronchiectasis – Damage to the lungs’ airways
- Bronchitis – Inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes
- Chronic cough
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – Chronic bronchitis and emphysema (condition affecting the lung’s air sacs)
- Cystic fibrosis – Disease that causes mucus to build up in the lungs and other areas of the body
- Interstitial lung disease – Inflamed, damaged lung tissue
- Lung cancer
- Pulmonary hypertension – High blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs
- Sarcoidosis – Inflammation in the lymph nodes, lungs, liver and other tissues
- Sleep apnea – Disorder causing breathing to stop or get very shallow during sleep
Pulmonary Testing
To learn the reason for your symptoms, a pulmonologist (lung doctor) may order:
- Pulmonary function tests – Examine how you breathe in and out
- Pulse oximetry – Measures oxygen levels in the blood
- Blood gas analysis – Measures oxygen and carbon dioxide levels and pH balance in the blood
- Bronchoscopy – Slides a thin tube with a light and camera into the airways to show the inside of them, sometimes using
- Navigational bronchoscopy – Uses computed tomography (CT) imaging and special software to map your airways and provide a quicker diagnosis
- Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) – Combines bronchoscopy with ultrasound imaging for a clearer image of the airways
- Lung cancer screening – Looks for signs of lung cancer in current and former smokers
Lung Treatments
Based on your test results, we’ll make a custom treatment plan that may include:
- Medications to make breathing easier
- Bronchial valve therapy (spiration valve procedure) for advanced COPD
- Thoracentesis to remove fluid from around the lungs
- Bronchial thermoplasty to reduce asthma attacks
- Pulmonary rehabilitation to help you improve lung function
Thoracic Surgery
If you have lung cancer, your doctor may recommend thoracic (chest) surgery to remove the diseased part of the lung. We’ll preserve as much healthy tissue as possible when we perform:
- Lobectomy – Removes one of more lobes of a lung
- Pneumonectomy – Removes the entire lung
- Thoracotomy – Removes all or part of a lung through a cut on one side of the chest (thorax)
- Right heart catheterization – Slides a thin tube into an artery to check how the heart is pumping and measure blood pressure in your heart and lung arteries
- Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) – Uses a tiny camera inserted through small incisions in the chest to guide the surgeon
