Pneumology

These board are weekly meetings designed for the analysis of difficult cases, decision-making regarding medications and high-cost procedures that, according to the type of disease, are pooled as: Advanced pulmonary disease Board, Pulmonary hypertension Board, Pulmonary transplant Board, ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Therapy) Board, Oncology Board and Radiology Board focused on thoracic conditions.

The strongest point of these boards is the participation of a multidisciplinary group of pneumologists, cardiologists, chest surgeons, plastic surgeons, intensivists, anesthesiologists, infectious diseases specialists, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, psychologists and social workers, who evaluate each patient from various perspectives to define the most appropriate therapy on an individual basis.

Specialized Advanced Pulmonary Disease Board: It was created for the analysis of difficult pneumology cases, and helps to better address a pulmonary condition making decisions regarding the best treatment, discussing the relevance of medications and high-cost procedures, allows for patients pre-screening for lung transplantation protocols, and complex diseases and interventional pneumology procedures follow-up.

Pulmonary Hypertension Board: Those boards has as an aim to evaluate, follow-up and make therapeutic decisions in cases of suspected or diagnosed disease. This board integrates the Pulmonary Endarterectomy program for the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension secondary to chronic thromboembolic disease, so that candidate patients are evaluated and chosen for the procedure.

Transplant Board:It is a multidisciplinary group that assesses patients who are candidates for lung transplantation, in order to define the relevance of initiating a pre-transplant protocol and decide a patient’s entry into the waiting list as candidates for such procedure. Additionally, the Board monitors the current status of patients already transplanted and their adherence to post-transplant medical treatment.

The service has the Pulmonary Transplant Program, with a five-year history and a multidisciplinary group that includes pneumologists, cardiologists, chest and cardiovascular surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensivists, pathologists, infectious disease specialists, physiatrists, ECMOlogists, perfusionists, respiratory therapists, as well as nurses, instrumentalists and assistants trained in the specific management of this type of patients.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program: It is intended to optimize the treatment of medical and surgical patients, as a tool within the comprehensive management of patients with chronic lung disease (COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, cancer, post-thorax surgery, candidate patients for lung transplantation, etc.). This therapy ensures that each patient undergoes surgery in optimal conditions thus achieving a faster recovery in the postoperative period. For non-surgical patients, this is a tool that helps them remain as functional as possible, within the natural course of their disease.

Asthma Educational Program: It is intended to optimize medical treatments for asthmatic patients, so that they avoid crises or the exacerbation of their illness. The Asthma educational comprehensive program was created with the objective of teaching self-care to asthmatic patients and assisting their families.

Cystic Fibrosis Program: A leading program within the region, focuses on the education of patients and their families with the purpose of promoting self-care that allows for a greater control of the disease. It is focused in nutritional knowledge for cystic fibrosis, training in the clearance of the respiratory tract and use of sprays for treatment. This program includes adult and pediatric pneumology services, gastroenterology, social work and nutrition.

Program for Adherence to positive pressure equipment: It is intended to guarantee the success of long-term treatment with positive pressure equipment used for some complex pulmonary pathologies.

Basic and advanced Bronchoscopy Service: this service has a big unit for endoscopic therapy with individual rooms for outpatient and hospitalized patients who require endoscopic management. Endobronchial ultrasound and EBUS fine needle aspiration (unique in Cali) is available, a specialized, minimally invasive procedure for airways assessment and sample taking beyond the tracheobronchial wall, for the analysis and staging of lung cancer, diagnosis of other masses or lung lesions and therapeutic bronchoscopy.

The Service has a pulmonary transplant program, as well as a pulmonary rehabilitation program, an educational programs for asthma, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, smoking cessation program, sick cilia syndrome, sleep apnea and adherence to positive pressure equipment.

In addition, the Service is characterized for having a strong group, who works under the best quality standards, with next generation equipment, focusing at all times on the patients’ safety and in human treatment.