Emphysema Center - Brockton, MA
Brockton Pulmonologist Doctors for EmphysemaType of Physician: Pulmonologist What is a Pulmonologist? A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners focus on diseases of the lungs and airways. The pulmonologist diagnoses and treats pneumonia, cancer, asthma, occupational diseases, sleep disorders, emphysema, and other complex disorders of the lungs. Pulmonologists evaluate lung function, examine the bronchial airways, and prescribe and monitor mechanical ventilation. Many pulmonary disease experts are also expert in critical care. Specialty: Pulmonary Disease Common Name: Lung Doctor Pulmonologist Doctors in Brockton * Thomas A Morris III MD  William M Stenson MD  Ronald Coutu MD  Frank J Breslin MD  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Sleep Health Centers  Drs Mazzotta & Woodford  Drs Mazzotta & Woodford  Aboualkheir Alzaim MD  Harbor Medical & Associates  Harbor Medical & Associates  Granite Medical Group  Granite Medical Group  Internal Medicine Health Assoc  MGH Pediatric Pulmonology  Respiratory Medical Associates  Caritas Carney Hospital Pulmonary Medicine & Critical Care  Caritas Carney Hospital Pulmonary Medicine & Critical Care  Caritas Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine  Associates In Internal Medicine  Associates In Internal Medicine  Caritas Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine  Faulkner LBB_Hospital Pulmonary  Boston University Medical Group  Boston University Medical Group  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  VA Boston Healthcare System  VA Boston Healthcare System  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Marilyn P Griffin MD  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Jules Schwaber MD  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Brigham & Women's Hospital Center for Chest Diseases  Benjamin White MD  New England Medical Center Pulmonology  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Tufts Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Children's Hospital Boston Pulmonology  Beth Israel Deaconess Needham Emergency Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Tufts Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Tufts Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Tufts Medical Center  Tufts Medical Center  Tufts Medical Center  Tufts Medical Center  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associated Endocrinology  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  MGH Pulmonary & Critical Care  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  David J Kanarek & Barry Levine MDs  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  David J Kanarek & Barry Levine MDs  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH Brockton, MassachusettsUpcoming Local Events2012-05-26
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EmphysemaIntroduction to emphysemaThe lungs are a pair of organs in the chest that are primarily responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air we breathe and the blood. The lung is composed of clusters of small air sacs (alveoli) divided by thin, elastic walls or membranes. Capillaries, the tiniest of blood vessels, run within these walls between the alveoli and allow blood and air to come near each other. The distance between the air in the lungs and the blood in the capillaries is very small, and allows molecules of oxygen and carbon dioxide to transfer across the membranes. Air reaches the alveoli via the bronchial tree. The trachea splits into the right and left mainstem bronchi, which branch further into bronchioles and finally ends in the alveolar air sacs. When we breathe in, air enters the lung and the alveoli expand. Oxygen is transferred onto hemoglobin molecules in the red blood cells to be transported to the rest of the body for use. As oxygen attaches to the red blood cell, carbon dioxide, the waste product of metabolism, detaches and crosses into the alveoli to be exhaled. When we breathe out, the alveoli get squeezed by the elasticity in their walls and air is pushed out of the lungs.
What is emphysema?Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lung(s) and occurs when the alveolar walls are destroyed along with the capillary blood vessels that run within them. This lessens the total area within the lung where blood and air can come together, limiting the potential for oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer. In early emphysema, there is associated inflammation of the small airways or bronchioles that limits the amount of air that can flow to the alveoli. In more severe emphysema, there is also loss of elasticity in the alveolar walls that have not been destroyed. When the patient breathes out, th... Recommended Reading Related to EmphysemaWhat Is Heart Failure?Heart failure does not mean the heart has stopped working. Rather, it means that the heart's pumping power is weaker than normal. With heart failure, blood moves through the heart and body at a slower rate, and pressure in the heart increases. As a result, the heart cannot pump enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the body's needs. The chambers of the heart respond by stretching to hold more blood to pump through the body or by becoming more stiff and thickened. This helps to keep the blood moving for a short while, but in time, the heart muscle walls weaken and are unable to pump as strongly. As a result, the kidneys often respond by causing the body to retain fluid (water) and sodium. If fluid builds up in the arms, legs, ankles, feet, lungs or other organs, the body becomes congested, and congestive heart failure is the term used to describe the condition. What Causes Heart Failure?Heart failure is caused b... Other Related Emphysema ArticlesEmergency Contact for Brockton
Nearby Brockton Hospitals *Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Boston VA Healthcare System Brockton Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center Kindred Specialty Hospital Stoughton Kindred Specialty Hospital Braintree New England Sinai Hospital & Rehabilitation Center South Shore Hospital Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital Massachusetts Hospital School Quincy Medical Center Caritas Norwood Hospital Milton Hospital Morton Hospital & Medical Center Pembroke Hospital Taunton State Hospital Caritas Carney Hospital Westwood Lodge Hospital Massachusetts Mental Health Center VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged Faulkner Hospital Bournewood Hospital Sturdy Memorial Hospital Radius Specialty Hospital Boston Arbour Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham Boston Medical Center New England Baptist Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus Brigham & Women's Hospital Children's Hospital Boston Dana Farber Cancer Institute Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Tufts New England Medical Center Arbour HRI Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Franciscan Hospital for Children M I T Medical Massachusetts General Hospital Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Arbour-Fuller Hospital Cambridge Hospital Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center Newton Wellesley Hospital Mount Auburn Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital Jordan Hospital Somerville Hospital Lawrence F Quigley Memorial Hospital Whidden Memorial Hospital McLean Hospital Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island New Bedford Rehabilitation Hospital Lawrence Memorial Hospital MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital Butler Hospital Landmark Medical Center The Miriam Hospital Melrose Wakefield Hospital Milford Regional Medical Center Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island Charlton Memorial Hospital Bradley Hospital Winchester Hospital HEALTHSOUTH New England Rehabilitation Hospital Hasbro Children's Hospital Rhode Island Hospital Tobey Hospital Our Lady of Fatima Hospital Providence VA Medical Center Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
Suggested Reading on Emphysema by Our Doctors
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Chronic Cough
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Chronic Bronchitis
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Secondhand Smoke
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Emphysema, Chronic Bronchitis, and Colds
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