Specialty care for lung diseases and sleep disorders
Ascension St. Vincent's Lung Institute - Clay is a department of Ascension St. Vincent's Clay County.
The respiratory care team at Ascension St. Vincent's Lung Institute - Clay listens to understand your health needs. Our pulmonologists offer a wide range of tests for symptoms that affect how you breathe and sleep. Through our outpatient clinics, we offer specialized care for many lung conditions, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, lung infections, recurring bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, sleep apnea and more.
Ascension St. Vincent's pulmonary medicine and sleep medicine specialists offer many types of procedure and services which include:
- Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
- Endobronchial ultrasound biopsy
- Oxygen therapy
- Pulmonary function testing
- Pulmonary hypertension management
- Sleep lab testing and CPAP therapy
- Stop smoking programs
- Vasodilator medication therapy
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Lung nodule program
The Ascension St. Vincent's Lung Institute Lung Nodule Clinic provides screenings, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment for lung nodules. Getting a screening such as a low-dose CT scan may help find lung nodules or cancer early, when it is most treatable. If lung nodules are found, we surveillance them for cancer. Finding cancer early means there may be more options for treatment too.
If you are diagnosed with cancer, we can connect you with a specialist that's right for you. Our specialized team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and surgeons who work together to deliver the care that's right for you.
Lung Nodule Clinic services include:
- Fast access to initial consultation appointments. You are generally seen within a week after receiving your referral.
- Evaluation of single or multiple nodules. We can also provide recommendations for additional testing, monitoring, and treatment.
- Minimally invasive procedures to evaluate nodules, diagnose cancer, and to help manage your symptoms.
- Coordination of specialty care with thoracic surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists.
Sleep medicine
If you experience excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. Ascension St. Vincent's Sleep Disorders Centers can help you get the rest you need. We have doctors who specialize in sleep-related medical concerns. Common sleep disorders include:
- Circadian rhythm disorders
- Insomnia
- Narcolepsy
- Parasomnia
- Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)
- Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
- Sleep apnea
- Snoring
For sleep medicine studies, our care team offers in-hospital sleep lab testing and home-based sleep tests. Our sleep specialists treat many types of sleep disorders from obstructive sleep apnea to snoring and insomnia.
Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR)
Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) is a minimally invasive procedure that treats severe emphysema and other types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using endobronchial valves. Patients with advanced COPD or emphysema have very few treatment options short of a lung transplant. With BLVR, we are able to offer those patients significant symptom relief and improvement in quality of life with a minimally invasive procedure. This procedure uses tiny devices that are implanted in the airways of the lungs and act as one-way valves. The devices block off diseased parts of the lung and allow healthier regions to expand and function more efficiently.
Ascension St. Vincent’s Lung Institute - Riverside is one of two centers offering this treatment in North Florida.We are the only premier practice for BLVR in the Jacksonville area that has achieved a higher level of experience and quality care with the procedure.
IonTM robotic-assisted technology
Lung nodules are common and may appear as small spots on a chest X-ray or CT scan.
The Ion™ robotic-assisted bronchoscopy system helps doctors safely reach hard-to-reach lung nodules to collect a small tissue sample for testing. This technology can help find lung cancer earlier.
Before the procedure, your doctor creates a 3D map of your airways. Using the Ion™ system, the surgeon guides a thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera through the airways to the nodule. A small biopsy tool collects a tissue sample, which is tested by a pathologist for cancer cells.
The Ion™ System moves with your breathing, helping the doctor stay on target and reducing the risk of complications.
Compared with a CT-guided lung biopsy, the Ion™ Bronchoscopy System is less invasive, often faster, and patients may have fewer side effects.
Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy is one of many tools used by our lung cancer specialists at Ascension St. Vincent's. Our pulmonary medicine doctors, thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists, radiologists, nurse navigators, and rehabilitation therapists meet every two weeks at the Lung Cancer Tumor Conference to review each patient's care plan and discuss the latest treatment options. We follow national guidelines for lung cancer staging and provide advanced treatment options.
Robotic-assisted procedures for lung nodules
Lung nodules are common and can be found on a chest X-ray or CT scan.
At Ascension St. Vincent's, our surgeons use the Ion™ robotic-assisted bronchoscope. Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that lets doctors see and biopsy lung nodules. This technology helps doctors find lung cancer earlier and reach nodules that are difficult to access.
Before the procedure, your doctor creates a 3D map of your airways. Then, your surgeon uses a thin tube with a small camera to guide the biopsy tool to the nodule. A small tissue sample is collected and tested for cancer cells.
The Ion™ System adjusts as you breathe, helping improve accuracy and reduce the risk of complications.
Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy is one of many tools used by our lung cancer specialists at Ascension St. Vincent's. Our pulmonary medicine doctors, thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists, radiologists, nurse navigators, and rehabilitation therapists meet regularly at the Lung Cancer Tumor Conference to review each patient's care plan and discuss the latest research and best practices. We follow national guidelines for lung cancer staging and provide advanced treatment options.
Additional services
Not being able to take a deep breath or feel rested can affect other aspects of your physical and emotional health. Our doctors take the time to answer your questions. We offer diagnostic testing and treatments close to home. Pulmonary tests, therapies and procedures that include, but are not limited to:
- Robotic interventional procedures
- Bronchoscopies
- Inspire device implantation
- Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
- Endobronchial ultrasound biopsy
- Oxygen therapy
- Pulmonary function testing
- Pulmonary hypertension management
- In lab sleep and CPAP therapy
- Home sleep testing