Pulmonary

The Pulmonary Disease Service is committed to providing state of the art subspecialty care in pulmonary medicine to eligible Department of Defense beneficiaries as well as support military readiness and graduate medical education (GME).

Pulmonary medicine integrates a thorough understanding of general internal medicine with special expertise in the care of respiratory diseases and Sleep Medicine Disorders. The staff are board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care. They serve as expert consultants in the field of Pulmonary/ Critical Care Medicine for the region.

Our clinical practice is limited to emancipated Adults and Geriatrics only. New patients are evaluated by referral only.

The Service is managed by the Chief, PDS and NCOIC, PDS. It is separated into two primary sections.

Services Offered

The Pulmonary Clinic offers diagnostic evaluation and treatment of pulmonary diseases including:

Pleural Effusions Pulmonary Embolism Pulmonary Infections Sleep Related Disorders

Asthma/COPD Chronic Respiratory Failure Interstitial Lung Disease Lung Cancer

The performance and interpretation of pulmonary function testing:

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Airway Challenge Testing Blood Gas Analysis

Flow-Volume Relationships Blood Gas Analysis Body Plethysmography Respiratory Mechanics

Invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures:

• Pleural Biopsy
• Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy
• Thoracentesis
• Polysomnogram
• Positive pressure Titration
• Actigraphy
• Multiple Sleep Latency Testing
• Closed Tube Thoracostomy

Clinical interpretation of thoracic imaging findings:

Radionuclide Scans Fluoroscopy Pulmonary Angiography

Chest Roentgenograms CT scan MRI

Pulmonary Specialty Clinics:

• Asthma Resource Center
• Sleep Disorders
• Tuberculosis (Positive PPD) Clinic
• Lung Mass Pathway

Support Staff:

The smooth operation of the Pulmonary Clinic is dependent on many individuals who are essential in assisting the physicians in the care of their patients. Their support and talents help create a first class clinical environment.

• Clinic Administrator/Clerical Support
• Lung Mass Clinical Coordinator/Nurse Case Manager
• Lead Technician, Pulmonary Function Lab
• Pulmonary Technicians
• NCOIC

Respiratory Therapy Section:

The Respiratory Therapy Section provides 24-hour inpatient coverage for the broad field of respiratory care. This includes, but is not limited to mechanical ventilation, chest physiotherapy, airway management, aerosol/O2 therapy, sputum induction, critical patient transport and arterial puncture and blood gases analysis. The service is comprised of the following personnel:

• Supervisory Therapist
• Civilian Respiratory Therapists
• Military Respiratory Therapists

Clinical Research:

Within the clinic is a research element that coordinates for the hospital multi-centered national studies on state of the art medications and therapies for COPD, asthma and pneumonia. Many of these protocols are in support of FDA requirements for the public release of new medications or therapies. The research group includes:

• Clinical Coordinator/Protocol Manager
• Clinical Coordinator/Data Manager
• Research Assistant

Graduate Medical Education (GME):

The Pulmonary Disease Service supports Graduate Medical Education by providing educational opportunities for training programs intrinsic and extrinsic to Eisenhower Army Medical Center, including, but not limited to:

• DDEAMC Army Medical Center - Internal Medicine Residency (5-6 residents/year)
• DDEAMC Army Medical Center - Family Practice Residency (1-2 residents/year)
• HPSP and USHUS Medical Students (3-5 medical students/year)
• DDEAMC Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Student (8 students/year)
• Augusta Technical Institute Respiratory Therapist Students (4-6 students/year)