Pulmonology focuses on diagnosing and treating lung and airway conditions such as asthma, COPD, and pneumonia, as well as overall respiratory health.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
While emphysema involves permanent structural damage that cannot be reversed, comprehensive management can significantly improve symptoms, exercise capacity, and quality of life. The goals of treatment at Liv Hospital are to relieve symptoms, prevent disease progression, improve exercise tolerance, and prevent and treat complications and exacerbations. Our approach is multidisciplinary, involving pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, respiratory therapists, and nutritionists to address every facet of the patient’s health. We move beyond simple inhaler prescriptions to offer advanced interventional and surgical options for eligible candidates.
Stopping smoking is the only medical intervention that has been proven to slow the accelerated decline in lung function. It is the cornerstone of emphysema management.
Bronchodilators are central to symptom management. They work by relaxing the smooth muscles around the airways, which helps to reduce air trapping and deflating the lungs.
Unlike in asthma, inhaled corticosteroids are not used as monotherapy in emphysema. They are typically reserved for patients who have a history of frequent exacerbations or those with a component of asthma (high blood eosinophils). When used, they are combined with long acting bronchodilators (Triple Therapy: LAMA plus LABA plus Steroid) to reduce inflammation and prevent flare ups. Overuse can increase the risk of pneumonia, so they are prescribed judiciously.
For patients with severe resting hypoxemia (low blood oxygen levels), long term oxygen therapy is the only therapy other than smoking cessation proven to extend life.
This is a comprehensive intervention that includes exercise training, education, and behavioral modification.
Pulmonary cachexia is a significant issue in emphysema. Breathing burns a lot of calories.
For select patients with advanced emphysema, surgical options can provide significant relief.
This is a minimally invasive alternative to LVRS. One-way valves are placed in the airways leading to the most diseased parts of the lung via a bronchoscope.
For patients with a genetic deficiency, weekly intravenous infusions of alpha-1 antitrypsin protein derived from human plasma can raise blood and lung levels of the protein. This therapy slows the destruction of lung tissue but does not reverse existing damage. It is a lifelong therapy aimed at preservation.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
CT scans use X-rays to create detailed cross-sectional images and are excellent for visualizing kidney stones, detecting tumors, and evaluating traumatic injuries. They are fast and widely available. MRI uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of soft tissues, making it superior for staging prostate cancer, evaluating bladder wall invasion, and assessing pelvic floor disorders without ionizing radiation.
Contrast dye, usually iodine-based, is injected into a vein to highlight the blood vessels and urinary tract organs. As the kidneys filter the dye from the blood, it opacifies the urine. This allows the radiologist to see the internal structure of the kidneys, the ureters, and the bladder clearly, revealing blockages, tumors, or structural abnormalities that would be invisible on a non-contrast scan.
Multiparametric MRI is an advanced imaging technique that combines standard anatomical sequences with functional sequences like Diffusion-Weighted Imaging and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced imaging. This provides a comprehensive assessment of the prostate, allowing doctors to distinguish between benign conditions like BPH and significant prostate cancer, and to guide targeted biopsies.
CT scans do involve exposure to ionizing radiation, which carries a small theoretical risk of cellular damage over time. However, modern CT scanners use dose-modulation technology to minimize this exposure to the lowest level necessary for a diagnostic image. The benefit of an accurate and timely diagnosis for serious urological conditions typically far outweighs the minimal risk of radiation.
Many modern orthopedic implants are MRI-safe, although they may cause some image distortion. However, older pacemakers, defibrillators, and certain metal clips may be unsafe in the strong magnetic field. It is critical to inform the imaging team of any metallic implants so they can verify their safety compatibility or recommend an alternative test like a CT scan.
At Liv Hospital, we know how chronic bronchitis affects your daily life. It causes inflammation in the bronchi, leading to too much mucus and trouble
Do your eyes itch, turn red, and have stringy mucus? If dust, pollen, or pet dander makes you feel this way, you might have allergic
Your Comparison List (you must select at least 2 packages)
