Emphysema Center - Cambridge, MA
Cambridge 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 Cambridge * Harvard Vanguard Medical Associated Endocrinology  Pulmonary Associates of Greater Boston PC  Pulmonary Associates of Greater Boston PC  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  Children's Hospital Boston Pulmonology  Mount Auburn Hospital Travel Medicine Center  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  Robert Schiffman MD  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  Beth Israel Deaconess Needham Emergency Medicine  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  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 & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Marilyn P Griffin MD  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  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  VA Boston Healthcare System  VA Boston Healthcare System  David J Kanarek & Barry Levine MDs  David J Kanarek & Barry Levine MDs  Massachusetts General Hospital Pulmonology  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Sleep Health Centers  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Sleep Health Centers  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Boston Medical Center Pulmonary  Sleep Health Centers  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  Tufts Medical Center  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  Tufts Medical Center  Tufts Medical Center  Boston University Medical Group  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  Boston University Medical Group  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  St Elizabeth's Medical Center Department of Medicine  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  Tufts Medical Center  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  New England Medical Center Pulmonology  Tufts Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Tufts Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Tufts Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Aram Tomasian MD  Mystic Medical Group  Faulkner LBB_Hospital Pulmonary  Pulmonary Associates of Greater Boston PC  Caritas Carney Hospital Pulmonary Medicine & Critical Care  Caritas Carney Hospital Pulmonary Medicine & Critical Care Cambridge, 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 Cambridge
Nearby Cambridge Hospitals *Cambridge Hospital Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center M I T Medical Arbour HRI Hospital Mount Auburn Hospital Somerville Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Massachusetts General Hospital Children's Hospital Boston Dana Farber Cancer Institute Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Brigham & Women's Hospital Franciscan Hospital for Children Kindred Hospital Boston Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center New England Baptist Hospital Tufts New England Medical Center Boston Medical Center VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus Radius Specialty Hospital Boston Arbour Hospital Lawrence Memorial Hospital Whidden Memorial Hospital Lawrence F Quigley Memorial Hospital Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Faulkner Hospital Massachusetts Mental Health Center Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged McLean Hospital Bournewood Hospital Caritas Carney Hospital Melrose Wakefield Hospital Winchester Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus HEALTHSOUTH New England Rehabilitation Hospital Newton Wellesley Hospital Milton Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham Quincy Medical Center Lahey Clinic Medical Center North Shore Medical Center Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital Westwood Lodge Hospital Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital Massachusetts Hospital School Caritas Norwood Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston North Shore Salem Hospital & the Birthplace North Shore Children's Hospital Emerson Hospital Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Braintree New England Sinai Hospital & Rehabilitation Center South Shore Hospital MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital Tewksbury Hospital Beverly Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Stoughton Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center Isham Health Center Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Boston VA Healthcare System Brockton Saints Medical Center Lowell General Hospital HC Solomon Mental Health Center UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital Lawrence General Hospital Baldpate Hospital Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Westborough Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center Pembroke Hospital 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. |
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