When you choose a pulmonologist at Ascension Seton sites of care, you have a doctor who is part of an integrated national network of care. Pulmonologists diagnose and treat conditions that affect your lungs and respiratory system. Conditions include:
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Chronic lung diseases, including COPD
- Cystic fibrosis
- Lung cancer and benign lung nodules
- Covid-19 and other infectious diseases
- Pneumonia
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Sleep apnea
- Tracheobronchomalacia
- Pleural effusion
- Tracheal stenosis
Your doctor and respiratory therapists may use advanced lab tests, imaging, endoscopic procedures and breathing tests to find what’s causing your condition. Then, we work with you to create a personalized care plan. Our goal is to help your lungs and airways recover so you can breathe easier.
Specialized care to help manage your asthma
Difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness and persistent cough are common symptoms of asthma. At Ascension Seton, we offer allergy and respiratory tests to diagnose asthma. Your doctors and respiratory therapists work with you to create a personalized asthma management plan that is right for you and your type of asthma:
- Allergic asthma triggered from pollen, mold or other allergens
- Aspirin-induced asthma caused by aspirin sensitivity
- Asthma without allergies worsens with a respiratory infection
- Exercise-induced asthma set off by physical exertion
- Occupational asthma from inhaled smoke or toxins
Specialists at Ascension Seton focus on helping you prevent asthma attacks and get symptom relief.
Advanced lung care with minimally invasive tests and treatments
Symptoms of a lung condition include chronic cough or coughing up blood, noisy breathing, shortness of breath, tightness in your chest, tiredness or chest pain that lasts longer than a month. If you are experiencing symptoms of a respiratory condition, talk with a pulmonologist.
The pulmonology care team at Ascension Seton includes interventional pulmonologists, who specialize in non-surgical, minimally invasive procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of lung and airway diseases.
Advanced diagnostic tests include:
- Ultrasound guided biopsy of lung or lymph node - During a biopsy, your doctor uses a small needle to collect tissue from your lung or a lymph node. The tissue is then examined to diagnose cancer, infection, lung fibrosis, inflammation in the lung and other lung diseases.
- Flexible bronchoscopy - During bronchoscopy, your doctor inserts a flexible tube with a camera through your mouth or nose into your lung. Images from inside the lung are displayed on a screen while your pulmonologist examines your lungs.
- Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy - Using Ion™ robotic-assisted bronchoscope, your doctor can collect a tissue sample as small as 1 centimeter from your lung, a nodule or a lymph node. This new technology helps your doctor access hard-to-reach nodules in the lung and improve the early detection of lung cancer .
- Low-dose CT lung scan - This radiology test is a screening for lung cancer and lung nodules. You lay on a flat table that slides into a computed tomography (CT) scanner. Multiple images are taken of your chest. These images create a detailed picture of your lungs and can help your doctor diagnose lung cancer.
Screenings to help detect lung cancer early
Talk with your doctor about lung screenings that are right for you based on your age, family history, smoking history and other risk factors.
You may quality for a low-dose CT lung cancer screening if you are:
High Risk Category 1
- Age 50-80
- AND have a 20 pack-year smoking history (This means one pack a day for 20 years OR two packs a day for 10 years, etc.)
- AND are concurrently smoking or quit within the past 15 years
or
High Risk Category 2
- Age 50
- AND have a 20 pack-year smoking history
- AND ONE additional risk factor (i.e. family history of lung cancer, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis and exposure to certain substances including asbestos, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, diesel fuels, nickel, radon, silica and uranium)
Comprehensive care for lung cancer
At Ascension Seton sites of care, our experienced pulmonary medicine specialists are part of an integrated national network of doctors, sharing best practices and advanced treatment options for lung cancer care, chest cancers and benign lung nodules. When you choose Ascension, you get a multidisciplinary team of doctors, prioritizing early and personalized treatment.
Pulmonary rehabilitation to strengthen your lungs
Pulmonary rehabilitation specialists at Ascension sites of care focus on building your lung endurance and reducing shortness of breath. With a referral from your doctor, our experienced respiratory therapists and nurses work with you to deliver a personalized exercise and education program that includes 1-1 counseling and smoking cessation, if needed.
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