Emphysema Center - Lowell, MA
Lowell 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 Lowell * Irwin A Buchwald MD  Lung Specialists of The Merrimack Valley  Lung Specialists of The Merrimack Valley  Lung Specialists of The Merrimack Valley  Lung Specialists of The Merrimack Valley  Mark B Bown MD  Caritas Holy Family Hospital  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Lahey Clinic Medical Center Pulmonary & Critical Care  Merrimack Valley Pulmonary  Merrimack Valley Pulmonary  Merrimack Valley Pulmonary  Peter M Barkin MD  Peter M Barkin MD  Bijan Sadrnoori MD  Woburn Medical Associates PC  Surendra S Chawla MD & Mandy Kaur MD  Reading Internal Medicine  Michael Zaslow MD  Pentucket Medical Associates Haverhill Internal Medicine & Gastroenterology  Waltham Medical Group  Sleep Health Centers  Aram Tomasian MD  Mystic Medical Group  Melrose Medical Associates  Beer & Vernovsky MDs  Beer & Vernovsky MDs  Mount Auburn Hospital Travel Medicine Center  Robert Schiffman MD  Pulmonary Associates of Greater Boston PC  St Elizabeth's Medical Center Department of Medicine  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  St Elizabeth Medical Ctr Pulmonology  Sleep Health Centers  Sleep Health Centers  Sleep Health Centers  Pulmonary Associates of Greater Boston PC  Raul Laguarda MD  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associated Endocrinology  Pulmonary Physicians  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  Beth Israel Deaconess Needham Emergency Medicine  Pulmonary Physicians  Pulmonary Physicians  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 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  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  Massachusetts General Hospital Pulmonology  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  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Brigham & Womens Hospital Center for Chest Disease  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH  MGH Pulmonary & Critical Care  Marilyn P Griffin MD  Pulmonary & Critical Care Unit at MGH Lowell, 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 Lowell
Nearby Lowell Hospitals *Saints Medical Center Lowell General Hospital HC Solomon Mental Health Center Tewksbury Hospital Isham Health Center Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center Lawrence General Hospital Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital Northeast Rehabilitation Health Network Southern New Hampshire Medical Center St Joseph Hospital Lahey Clinic Medical Center Emerson Hospital Nashoba Valley Medical Center HEALTHSOUTH New England Rehabilitation Hospital Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Haverhill Merrimack Valley Hospital Winchester Hospital Baldpate Hospital Parkland Medical Center Hampstead Hospital Melrose Wakefield Hospital McLean Hospital Lawrence Memorial Hospital North Shore Medical Center Somerville Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston North Shore Mount Auburn Hospital Whidden Memorial Hospital Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center Cambridge Hospital Newton Wellesley Hospital Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Franciscan Hospital for Children Lawrence F Quigley Memorial Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston Arbour HRI Hospital North Shore Children's Hospital Salem Hospital & the Birthplace Beverly Hospital M I T Medical Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Children's Hospital Boston Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brigham & Women's Hospital HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Campus Tufts New England Medical Center Elliot Hospital New England Baptist Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus Anna Jaques Hospital UMass Memorial Clinton Hospital Boston Medical Center Arbour Hospital Health Alliance Burbank Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital Radius Specialty Hospital Boston Bournewood Hospital Catholic Medical Center MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital Faulkner Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Manchester VA Medical Center Massachusetts Mental Health Center VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus Westborough State 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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