Pulmonology is the medical specialty dealing with diseases of the lungs and bronchial tubes, which often involves evaluation of the upper respiratory tract (nose, pharynx and throat) as well as the heart. Pulmonologists are specially trained in diseases and conditions of the chest, such as pneumonia, asthma, tuberculosis, emphysema, or complicated chest infections.
According to the American College of Physicians, not everyone who suffers from an acute respiratory condition or chronic respiratory diseases needs a pulmonologist. Many of these conditions can be managed by a general internist. Pulmonologists usually help patients with complex pulmonary problems, such as emphysema, tuberculosis, asthma, complicated chest infections, pulmonary complications of AIDS, and injury.
Pulmonologists may also perform procedures to obtain samples of the lining of the chest wall or of the lung itself. For example, they use flexible fiber optics (endoscopes) to see inside the air passages and extract sample pieces for study. They also perform angiographic visualization – injecting dye into the pulmonary arteries to view the blood vessels in the lungs.
Respiratory Therapists
Respiratory Therapists evaluate and treat all types of patients, ranging from premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed to elderly people whose lungs are diseased. They provide temporary relief to patients with chronic asthma or emphysema and give emergency care to patients who are victims of a heart attack, stroke, drowning, or shock.
Therapists are involved in everything from pulmonary rehabilitation, to smoking-cessation counseling, disease prevention, case management, and polysomnography – the diagnosis of breathing disorders during sleep, such as apnea. Respiratory therapists may also treat critical-care patients, either as part of surface and air transport teams or as part of rapid-response teams in the hospital.
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Pulmonology/Respiratory Care
According to the American College of Physicians, not everyone who suffers from an acute respiratory condition or chronic respiratory diseases needs a pulmonologist. Many of these conditions can be managed by a general internist. Pulmonologists usually help patients with complex pulmonary problems, such as emphysema, tuberculosis, asthma, complicated chest infections, pulmonary complications of AIDS, and injury.
Pulmonologists may also perform procedures to obtain samples of the lining of the chest wall or of the lung itself. For example, they use flexible fiber optics (endoscopes) to see inside the air passages and extract sample pieces for study. They also perform angiographic visualization – injecting dye into the pulmonary arteries to view the blood vessels in the lungs.
Respiratory Therapists
Respiratory Therapists evaluate and treat all types of patients, ranging from premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed to elderly people whose lungs are diseased. They provide temporary relief to patients with chronic asthma or emphysema and give emergency care to patients who are victims of a heart attack, stroke, drowning, or shock.
Therapists are involved in everything from pulmonary rehabilitation, to smoking-cessation counseling, disease prevention, case management, and polysomnography – the diagnosis of breathing disorders during sleep, such as apnea. Respiratory therapists may also treat critical-care patients, either as part of surface and air transport teams or as part of rapid-response teams in the hospital.