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Pulmonology is the medical specialty that deals with disease of the lungs and the respiratory tract. It is generally considered a branch of internal medicine, although it is closely related to intensive care medicine, particularly when dealing with patients requiring mechanical ventilation. It is the subspecialty of internal medicine concerned with diseases of the lungs and bronchial tubes, which often involves evaluation of the upper respiratory tract (nose, pharynx, and throat) as well as the heart. Physicians specializing in this area are called pulmonologists.
Pulmonary surgery of the respiratory tract is generally performed by specialists in cardiothoracic surgery or thoracic surgery. Chest medicine is an inclusive term which pertains to the treatment of diseases of the chest and contains the fields of pulmonology, thoracic surgery, and intensive care medicine. Pulmonologists are specially trained in diseases and conditions of the chest, such as pneumonia, asthma, tuberculosis, emphysema, or complicated chest infections. The specific diseases managed by Pulmonologists include asthma, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer (diagnosis only), pneumonia, pneumothorax, pulmonary emboli, fibrosis, and hypertension, to name a few.
In the U.S., pulmonologists are physicians who, after receiving a medical degree, complete residency training in internal medicine (3 years), followed by at least 2 additional years of subspeciality fellowship training in pulmonology. Pulmonologists must first complete seven or more years of medical school and postgraduate training and become board certified in Internal Medicine. Then, for an additional two to three years, they study conditions specific to the respiratory system.
Medical Opinions Associates has Board-certified medical experts in all specialties, including Pulmonology. One such medical expert had held the position of Assistant Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Yale University, before moving to the faculty at the Harvard Medical School, Pulmonary Department, and is Board-certified in both Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. Another panel member is Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California Medical School, San Francisco. He has special expertise in Respiratory Therapy and holds a certification by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in interpretation of chest radiography. Another has particular expertise not only in Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care, but is also boarded in Sleep Medicine and is Medical Director of a Sleep Diagnostic Center. We also have a Pulmonologist on panel who focuses on Addictionology and served as Medical Director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
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