Pulmonology at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center

Specialty Care for Easier Breathing

Pulmonary Medicine addresses the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of lung and breathing disorders. Symptoms of these kind of problems include coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, frequent respiratory infections and fatigue.

Breathing specialists use Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) to measure how well your lungs take in and release air and how efficiently your lungs transfer oxygen into the blood. Diagnosis may also sometimes involve imaging and lab tests.

Common breathing or lung disorders include:

• Asthma
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Interstitial lung disease

Treatments for breathing disorders generally include short-term and/or long-term inhalers or other medications that help open your airways as well as avoiding smoke or other things that trigger breathing problems. Some lung diseases may require surgery.

PFTs are commonly repeated over several weeks or months to gauge how well a treatment is working.

Your primary-care provider will refer you to a pulmonary specialist if your condition requires this specialized care.

All offer a very personalized approach to lung care. Services range from routine assessments of chronic cough and shortness of breath to evaluating patients for lung transplants or specialized cancer treatment.