Pulmonary medicine is a subspeciality of internal medicine that deals with diagnosing, treating, and managing respiratory system disorders. It includes diseases of the lungs, thoracic cavity, chest wall, and upper airways. Detecting and preventing occupational and environmental causes of lung disease, as well as structural, inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic problems of the lung parenchyma, pleura, and airways, are all areas of specialization for pulmonologists.
Asthma, COPD, emphysema, lung cancer, interstitial and occupational lung diseases, and complex lung and pleural infections, including tuberculosis, pulmonary hypertension, and cystic fibrosis, are among the conditions that pulmonologists frequently assess and treat. Some pulmonologists may offer diagnostic and therapy services for sleep-disordered breathing conditions (such as sleep apnoea) in sleep laboratories.
Some of the standard procedures in pulmonary medicine are :
- Bronchoscopy : Bronchoscopy is a technique that enables medical professionals to view your lungs and airways. It is often carried out by a physician with expertise in lung problems (a pulmonologist). A very tiny tube (called a bronchoscope) is inserted into your lungs during a bronchoscopy through your mouth or nose. A flexible bronchoscope is most frequently used when doing bronchoscopy. A rigid bronchoscope, however, might be required in some circumstances, such as when there is significant lung bleeding or when a large object is lodged in the airway.
- Thoracentesis : Thoracentesis is a technique used to drain air or fluid from the area around the lungs. The pleural space is reached by inserting a needle through the chest wall. The pleural space is the little opening between the inner chest wall and the pleura of the lung. A double layer of membranes called the pleura encircles the lungs. There is a tiny amount of fluid inside the area. When you breathe, the fluid keeps the pleura from grinding against one another. Pleural effusion is the medical term for extra fluid in the pleural space. As a result of pleural effusion, breathing becomes more difficult since the lungs cannot expand. Pain and difficulty breathing may result from this.
