Pulmonary medicine is the specialty of internal medicine devoted to diagnosing and treating diseases of the chest and lungs. Pulmonologists evaluate disorders such as asthma, emphysema, lung cancer, pneumonia, sleep apnea, tuberculosis, and other breathing disorders. They also have special training in bronchoscopy, which uses a small fiber-optic scope to examine the airways.
Pulmonologists are also board certified in Critical Care Medicine. They often spend a great deal of time in the Critical Care Unit of hospitals providing care to critically ill patients who have experienced respiratory failure and whose breathing is supported by a ventilator.
Spirometry and lung volume testing is also a part of pulmonary medicine. It is commonly referred to as PFT's. This testing helps in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with asthma and COPD and is performed in our office.