Search results for: Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine

Lung transplant recipient populations evolve with advances in medical therapies

Cystic fibrosis (CF) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) were once common categories for referral to lung transplant. However, advances in medical therapies have allowed many patients with these diseases to avoid transplant. Today, at most transplant centers throughout the world, lung transplants are being performed on increasingly older patients, primarily with interstitial lung disease (ILD) followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  Unlike CF and PH, few treatments with the ability to extend survival currently exist for ILD, specifically idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and COPD. When these patients continue to decline despite maximized medical therapy, surgical options may be indicated.

Read more

Pulmonary hypertension requires early diagnosis and aggressive treatment

The understanding of pulmonary hypertension (PH) continues to evolve. The threshold to diagnose PH was lowered to mPAP ≥ 20 mmHg in the 6th World Symposium on PH in 2018. The therapeutic approach has also changed over time, favoring aggressive use of multiple pulmonary vasodilators in combination upfront and escalation of therapy based frequent assessment of disease progression. The changes to diagnostic criteria and management underscore the need to identify the disease early and to treat it aggressively.  

Read more

Interstitial lung disease program focuses on comprehensive, individualized patient care

Interstitial lung disease or diffuse parenchymal lung disease comprises a large group of more than 150 heterogeneous disorders. As a result, patients with these disorders are a difficult group to treat because many of the therapies are individualized to each patient. The Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic at Baylor University Medical Center, part of Baylor Scott & White Health, provides comprehensive care to patients with ILD.

Read more