10-12-2022 PTL - Flipbook - Page 14
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A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Pulmonary Health, continued
from page 4
Dr. Robert Reed (left), Professor of Medicine at
the University of Maryland School of Medicine and
Medical Director of the University of Maryland Lung
Transplant Program, and Dr. Avelino Verceles
(right), Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Medical
Director of the Center for Pulmonary Health at the
University of Maryland Center Midtown Campus, are
part of collaborative team of lungs, sleep and smoking cessation experts who partner with patients to
help manage all forms of lung disease and related
conditions.
Care for Pulmonary Conditions
The University of Maryland Center for
Pulmonary Health provides comprehensive
care services for a variety of lung disorders
and related conditions.
COPD Management
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
(COPD) is the name given to the difficulty
people experience as air moves out of the
lungs. COPD affects over 16 million people
in the United States and is most often
caused by smoking, which damages the
lungs and impacts their ability to take in
and expel air during breathing. COPD is the
combination of emphysema, the destruction or dissolving of tissue of the lungs, and
chronic bronchitis, which is obstruction to
the airway due to the production of significant amounts of mucus and phlegm, which
cause significant coughing and airway clearing. Chronic COPD leads to hospitalization
and its prevalence has become a central
focus of improved quality for University of
Maryland Medical System, according to Dr.
Reed.
The cornerstone of therapy for COPD is
smoking cessation. “If you stop smoking,
you can arrest the decline in lung function,”
Dr. Reed explains. “You’re probably not
going to normalize your lungs but at least
you won’t progress to significant difficulty
breathing.”
A variety of inhaled medications can
be utilized to help people breathe a little
better. In addition, pulmonary rehabilita-
tion with breathing exercises can reduce
the likelihood of developing exacerbations
and potential hospitalization. Extreme cases
may necessitate surgical approaches like
lung volume reduction surgery, or lung
transplantation, which requires removal of
the lungs and implantation of replacement
lungs from someone who recently died.
Smoking Cessation
Major health initiatives by the U.S. and
local governments and individual health
systems like the University of Maryland have
improved smoking cessation rates. Indoor
smoking bans and increases in the cost
of cigarette packs and cartons have aided
this effort. However, the prevalence of vape
devices, often marketed with candy and
tasty flavors, and the growing incidence of
marijuana use have necessitated hospitalization. With marijuana, for instance, individuals inhale and hold the smoke in their lungs
longer, further compromising lung function.
The University of Maryland Medical
Center’s smoking cessation program,
Tobacco Health Practice, is accessible at
the Center for Pulmonary Health at the
midtown and the downtown campuses as
well as all over the state of Maryland via
remote access. The program employs a
wide-ranging approach comprising nicotine
replacement, medication, education and
therapy services.
“There’s just nothing that you should put
in your lungs other than good clean air,” Dr.
Reed states. “Smoking is the single greatest
cause of lung problems that we see.”
Asthma
Breathing issues related to allergies
often present in the form of asthma. Usually
diagnosed in patients at a young age, asthma presents with high mucus production
and narrowing airways. It is often triggered
by an allergic reaction, possibly from pet
dander, fumes, smoke, dust, cold or hot air.
Asthma is usually treated with inhaled medications that decrease mucus production
and improve airway openings. A dedicated
asthma specialist coordinates treatment
including the administration of new medications that work at the cell level to decrease
inflammation and mucus production.
Interstitial Lung Disease
Interstitial Lung Disease refers to scarring of the lungs that resulted from smoking, uncontrolled acid reflux, autoimmune
damage or unexplained inflammation, with
patients experiencing severe difficulty when
breathing. They endure profound functional
limitations and an impaired quality of life.
Patients turn to the Center for Pulmonary
Health for the most advanced treatments
available. Patients with progressive deterioration as a result of autoimmune conditions find success through immunotherapy
treatments. Anti-scarring medications may
assist in stabilizing the lungs. Those with
advanced disease may require a lung transplant. The University of Maryland Medical
Center is one of two transplant centers in
the state.
Post-COVID Concerns
Individuals who have survived an intensive care unit stay due to COVID or endured
long-haul COVID related symptoms often
find themselves with compromised lung
capacity. The Center for Pulmonary Health
offers a multidisciplinary program that
teams together pharmacists, social workers,
occupational therapists and dietary nutritionists to assist patients with managing the
immediate and ongoing effects post-COVID,
including brain fogginess and shortness
of breath. Clinic experts employ a variety
of treatments, including physical therapy,
medication administration, diet and exercise
to help patients open their airways and
become more active. With the pandemic
still part of everyday life, medical advances
continue, and the University of Maryland is
participating in important research to help
improve care for COVID patients and those
dealing with long-term symptoms.
“One of the advantages of having a
clinic like this is that it allows us to be on
the forefront and plugged into cutting edge
treatments and approaches and be participating in data collection and research data
sharing,” Dr. Reed explains. “As soon as
the treatments become available, we know
about them, and we can implement them
early.”
Sleep Disorders
More than 50% of patients with COPD
have some degree of sleep disordered
breathing, according to Dr. Verceles.
Conditions include sleep apnea, or a disrupted airway causing shallow or sporadic
halted breathing, movement disorders, narcolepsy or extreme daytime tiredness, and
insomnia, or difficulty sleeping. Some conditions are related to Shift-Worker Syndrome,
when working abnormal hours affects the
body’s internal clock.
Undiagnosed sleep disorders may result
in serious conditions including heart disease or stroke. That’s why the Center for
Pulmonary Health employs dedicated sleep
medicine physicians who work to diagnose
sleep concerns to help patients get a good
night’s sleep. When needed, the physicians
may suggest overnight sleep testing in the
sleep lab to determine a diagnosis and
develop a personalized treatment plan.
Occupational Medicine
Patients exposed to asbestos, dusts and
chemicals at the worksite often find themselves dealing with lung related concerns.
Significant damage to the lungs can occur
from long-term exposure to harsh substances while on the job. Occupational medicine
experts at the center can expedite testing to
garner quick results and treatment.
Team-Based Collaborative Medicine
Pulmonary experts at the Center for
Pulmonary Health are dedicated to treating
conditions affecting the lungs and respiration. Experts in a variety of disciplines combine to provide care to patients with additional health conditions while at the center.
Providing streamlined care for related health
issues is shown to make a profound difference in the physical and emotional health
of patients.
“If you can’t breathe, it makes it very difficult to do what you want to do every day,”
notes Dr. Verceles. “People think breathing
problems are just due to the lungs. That’s
not necessarily so. Most of the time it is the
lungs, but because we offer such a multidisciplinary practice, we can treat the lungs as
well as a problem with another organ system
that could be causing problems with shortness of breath.”
For more information or to request an
appointment at the University of
Maryland Center for Pulmonary Health
visit ummidtown.org/pulmonary
or call 410-328-8141.