Pulmonary Medicine

Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium, and Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands... 

University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27514... 

Hall IP. Genetics and pulmonary medicine. 8 Asthma. Thorax 1999 54 65-69. 

Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Room Ee2251, Erasmus MC Rotterdam,... 

Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Room Ee2251, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, PO Box 2040, NL 3000 CA Rotterdam, the Netherlands Phone ++31-10-7043700 E-mail r.hendriks erasmusmc.ml. 

Uysal N and Schapira RM (2003) Effects of ozone on lung function and lung diseases. Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine 9 144—150. 

Therapeutically, PDE V inhibitors are being developed as potentiators of nitric oxide, or in conjunction with nitrovasodilators. In several in vitro and in vivo models, it has been demonstrated that zaprinast, WIN 58237, and other PDE V inhibitors can reinstate vasorelaxant responsiveness after tolerance to nitrovasodilators has occurred by preventing cGMP breakdown (Silver et al., 1991, 1994 Pagani et al., 1993). Clinically, this may represent a way to maintain patients on continuous nitroglycerin therapy. In pulmonary medicine, Zapol and colleagues (Rossaint et al.,... 

Department of Pediatrics Sections of Pulmonary Medicine and Neonatology University of Colorado School of Medicine Denver, Colorado 80218... 

Steven H. Abman (457) Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pulmonary Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, Colorado 80210... 

T. Vo-Dinh, P.N. Mathur (2000). Optical diagnostic and therapeutic technologies in pulmonary medicine. In C.T. Bolliger, P.N. Mathur (Eds), Interventional bronchoscopy. Prog. Respir. Res. (Vol. 30, pp. 267-279). Basel, Karger. 

Wan C. Tsai, M.D. Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. 

Guerra, S. (2005) Overlap of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine, 11, 7-13. 

Before delving into the instrumentation, it will be helpful to review briefly the function of the respiratory system and the parameters most often measured in pulmonary medicine. 

Pulmonary medicine is a branch of medicine that is concerned with the maintenance and function of the respiratory system. It deals with causes, diagnoses, and treatments of diseases that affect the lungs and related systems, such as sleep, that are strongly supported by an efficiently working respiratory system. Pulmonary medicine is often confused with pulmonology, which is the scientific study of the basic anatomy, physiology, and function of the respiratory system. Practitioners of pulmonary medicine are called pulmonologists. 

Percussion is somewhat different from auscultation in the pulmonary examination, but the two techniques ultimately serve the same purpose—to identify some dysfunction of the respiratory system through audible observation. Percussion is a technique in which the physician places a hand over parts of the chest or back directly over the lungs and, with the other hand, taps with his or her fingertips. The physician then notices the pitch of the resonant sound from the tap (called percussed sounds). Percussion is particularly usehil for the identification of pneumothorax, a pulmonary condition in which air or gas is trapped in the pleural cavity. In modern pulmonary medicine, percussion is almost always used in conjunction with auscultation. 

Imaging Studies. Auscultation and percussion are integral to the initial examination of the pulmonary patient The next step in evaluation is often imaging studies. The most common imaging studies in pulmonary medicine are radiographs of the chest (X rays), computed tomography (GT) scans, high-resolution... 

In 2000, 6,734 physicians in the United States indicated their primary specialty as pulmonary medicine. Most pulmonologists are internal medicine physicians treating adults, but a smaller number practice as pediatric pulmonologists. 

Pulmonary medicine as a discipline requires expertise in diagnosing, managing, and treating the full array of respiratory conditions. It also involves large portions of smaller, more specialized areas such as critical care medicine and sleep medicine. Workforce issues in pulmonary medicine are difficult to fully grasp because of the complexity of the history and evolution of the specialty and the strength of its subspecialty areas. One of the most visible examples of this is workforce issues in critical care medicine. 

After being accepted to a university, students interested in careers in pulmonary medicine pick a major area of study (often a science) and make certain they fulfill any requirements for medical school. Some schools allow the students to designate themselves... 

A functioning respiratory system is vital to life, and the goal of pulmonary medicine is to ensure that the respiratory system is functioning properly and adequately. Pulmonary medicine is a vital medical specialty that offers many interesting potential research areas and a variety of respiratory-related suhspecial-ties that are at the cutting edge of modern medicine (such as critical care and sleep medicine). 

Training in pulmonary medicine is long and laborious but can ultimately be very rewarding. As demand for pulmonary and critical care medicine practitioners is at an all-time high and expected to increase, the prospects for a successful career in pulmonary medicine are very good. 

Mason, RobertJ., Jay A. Nadel, and John F. Murray. Murray and Nadel s Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia Elsevier Saunders, 2010. The quintessential textbook on pulmonary medicine. Includes chapters on every aspect of pulmonary disease management from basic anatomy of the lungs to lung transplantation. 

See also Hypnosis Neurology Psychiatry Pulmonary Medicine. 

See also Animal Breeding and Husbandry Artificial Organs Bioengineering Cardiology Cell and Tissue Engineering Hematology Pulmonary Medicine Veterinary Science. 

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