Pneumology

What is pneumology?

Pneumology is the branch of medicine that deals with respiratory diseases through the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pathologies of the lungs, pleura and mediastinum.

One of the main goals of pneumologists in terms of prevention is to stop people from smoking, as it is the main cause of lung cancer and other cardio-respiratory diseases. Therefore, they focus on raising public awareness of the benefits of reducing exposure to smoke and offering patients help to stop smoking.

What does pneumology study?

The main respiratory pathologies can be congenital, hereditary or caused by habits and lifestyle. Pneumology focuses on the study of the causes that lead to breathing difficulties/problems, and the development of effective treatments to alleviate them.

The Quirónsalud team of pneumologists specialise in different specific areas that study in depth the characteristics of each organ and the associated diseases:

• Lung cancer unit: focused on early detection and multidisciplinary treatment of the disease.
• COPD Unit: deals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mainly bronchitis and emphysema, which causes breathing difficulties.
• Respiratory infections unit: studies the environmental and individual factors that can cause infections and the most suitable, effective treatment to prevent them from developing into severe pneumonia.
• Sleep disorders unit: assesses and treats breathing disorders during sleep, such as snoring or apnoea.
• Asthma unit: its main purpose is to control the disease in order to improve patients’ quality of life.
• Smoking unit: studies patients’ level of dependence in order to offer them the most suitable treatment to overcome their addiction.

Which patients is it for?

Pneumology treats both patients with chronic respiratory diseases who need continuous treatment to carry out daily activities, as well as people with infectious conditions or occasional respiratory distress. Also, as mentioned above, it deals with patients who wish to stop smoking and to raise public awareness of the benefits of not smoking.

Techniques, procedures and diagnostic methods

The main tests and procedures that pneumologists perform to make a diagnosis and treat diseases associated with the respiratory system include:

• Spirometry: measures lung function by assessing how much air is inhaled and exhaled, as well as how quickly it is expelled.
• Bronchoscopy: a diagnostic test to look at the airways and lungs using a bronchoscope (a thin, flexible tube with a camera on the end).
• Oxygen therapy: treatment that delivers oxygen at high concentrations to ensure tissue needs in critically ill patients or those with chronic respiratory failure.
• Chest X-ray: a diagnostic imaging study performed with X-rays to detect infections, air accumulation in the pleura or tumours.
• Arterial blood gas: measures the acidity and levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood to diagnose respiratory failure.
• Pulmonary plethysmography: detects if there is any damage to the structure of the lung or if it is having difficulty expanding.