Emphysema Center - Worcester, MA
Worcester 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 Worcester * Fallon Clinic Pulmonary  Fallon Clinic Pulmonary  Fallon Clinic Pulmonary  Fallon Clinic Pulmonary  Fallon Clinic Pulmonary  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Medical Center Pulmonary Medicine  UMass Memorial Pulmonary Center  UMass Memorial Pulmonary Center  UMass Memorial Pulmonary Center  UMass Memorial Pulmonary Center  Ronald Dorris MD  Clifford G Risk MD  HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Pulmonary Medicine  HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Pulmonary Medicine  Inna Ketsler MD  HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Pulmonary Medicine  Lung Allergy & Sleep Specialists  Lung Allergy & Sleep Specialists  Lung Allergy & Sleep Specialists  Lung Allergy & Sleep Specialists  Anthony M DeMarco MD  Vladas Litani MD  Framingham Union Hospital Pulmonology  Framingham Union Hospital Pulmonology  MetroWest Medical Center Pulmonology  Charles River Medical Associates  Raul Laguarda MD  Peter M Barkin MD  Peter M Barkin MD  Athol Clinic  Mark B Bown MD  Beer & Vernovsky MDs  Beer & Vernovsky MDs  Hesameddin Karimeddiny MD  Peter A Ostrow MD  Internists Associated PC  Beth Israel Deaconess Needham Emergency Medicine  Waltham Medical Group  Caritas Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine  Lung Specialists of The Merrimack Valley  Lung Specialists of The Merrimack Valley  Lung Specialists of The Merrimack Valley  Lung Specialists of The Merrimack Valley  Caritas Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine  Associates In Internal Medicine  Associates In Internal Medicine  Emory Medical Associates  Irwin A Buchwald MD  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  Aram Tomasian MD  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  Sleep Health Centers  Faulkner LBB_Hospital Pulmonary  Mount Auburn Hospital Travel Medicine Center  Robert Schiffman MD  Woburn Medical Associates PC  Michael Zaslow MD  VA Boston Healthcare System  VA Boston Healthcare System  Marilyn P Griffin 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  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 Worcester, 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 Worcester
Nearby Worcester Hospitals *St Vincent Hospital at Worcester Medical Center UMass Memorial Medical Center Memorial Campus Adcare Hospital of Worcester Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital Worcester State Hospital UMass Memorial Medical Center University Campus Westborough State Hospital Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Westborough UMass Memorial Clinton Hospital UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital Hubbard Regional Hospital Milford Regional Medical Center Harrington Memorial Hospital Eleanor Slater Hospital Zambarano Unit HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Campus MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital Baystate Mary Lane Hospital Health Alliance Burbank Hospital Landmark Medical Center Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital Heywood Hospital Nashoba Valley Medical Center Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island Day Kimball Hospital Emerson Hospital Wing Memorial Hospital & Medical Center Newton Wellesley Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham Westwood Lodge Hospital Athol Memorial Hospital Caritas Norwood Hospital Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus McLean Hospital Arbour-Fuller Hospital Our Lady of Fatima Hospital Bournewood Hospital Lahey Clinic Medical Center Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Franciscan Hospital for Children Kindred Hospital Boston Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged Faulkner Hospital Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island Sturdy Memorial Hospital Mount Auburn 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. |
Suggested Reading on Emphysema by Our Doctors
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Congestive Heart Failure
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Pneumonia
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Chronic Cough
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Chronic Bronchitis
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Smoking (How to Quit Smoking)
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Bronchiectasis
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Heart Failure
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Chagas Disease
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Lung Anatomy
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Secondhand Smoke
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Emphysema, Chronic Bronchitis, and Colds
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