Pulmonary Medicine
Care for Patients with Breathing Difficulty and Lung Conditions
To protect our patients and staff, all people entering a BCH care facility
will be required to wear a mask (exceptions include children <2 yrs.
old or medical reasons such as trouble breathing, unconsciousness, or
someone unable to remove a mask without assistance). *Bandanas, neck gaiters,
and masks with valves are not acceptable.
Thanks to our community's compliance with public health and safety
recommendations, we are able to reopen many of the services we offer at
BCH. It is safe to come to BCH for your health care needs.
Please click here to see how we are working to keep you safe. We also now offer convenient
virtual visits at our primary and specialty clinics.
Our comprehensive pulmonary medicine program is staffed by specialists
who offer diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and education for patients
of all ages with breathing difficulties such as asthma, emphysema, chronic
bronchitis and lung disease. Our experienced team includes pulmonologists,
respiratory therapists, nurses and diagnostic technicians.
At Boulder Valley Pulmonology, we offer comprehensive treatments and services
to help with your breathing and lung-related conditions. Please call us
today to schedule an appointment at our convenient location in
Boulder at 303-415-5399.
Conditions We Diagnose and Treat
- Abnormal chest x-rays
- Asthma, allergic and non-allergic
- Autoimmune-related lung disease
- Bronchietasis
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Cough
- Critical Care (for ICU inpatients at Foothills Hospital)
- Deep venous thrombosis
- Emphysema and bronchitis
- High altitude illness
- Interstitial lung disease
- Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria
- Pleural effusions
- Pneumonia
- Pulmonary embolism
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Pulmonary nodules
- Respiratory complications of neuromuscular weakness
- Sarcoidosis
- Sleep apnea and other sleep-disordered breathing
- Tuberculosis
- Unexplained shortness of breath
Our Pulmonary Services Include:
CT Scan of the Chest - A CT scan takes pictures of the inside of the body. The pictures are
more detailed than a typical x-ray. During a CT scan of the chest, pictures
are taken of cross-sections or slices of the thoracic structures in your
body. The thoracic structures include your lungs, heart and the bones
around these areas.
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing or MVO2 - Also known as an exercise tolerance test, this is used both in the extreme
athlete to determine MVO2 max, lactate threshold as part of a structured
program to optimize fitness. It is also used to help determine the cause
of unexplained shortness of breath.
Pulmonary Function Testing - A non-invasive diagnostic test that checks to see how well your lungs
work. PFTs can diagnose lung diseases and measure the severity of lung
problems. If you are receiving treatment for a lung disease, a PFT can
help determine how well that therapy is working.
Bronchoscopy - A procedure to help diagnose and treat a variety of lung conditions.
A thin, flexible fibrotic scope is passed through the mouth or nose into
the lungs, typically under sedation, enabling the clinician to view the
airway, take samples and perform interventions, when needed
Right Heart Catheterization - Or pulmonary artery catheterization is a test used to see how well your
heart is pumping (how much it pumps per minute) and to measure the blood
pressure in your heart and the main blood vessels in your lungs. A vein
is accessed and then a long thin tube, or catheter, guided to your heart
and pulmonary arteries. The pressure in these areas is checked throughout
the procedure to confirm whether or not you have pulmonary hypertension
and guide therapy.
Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) - EBUS bronchoscopy is a procedure used to diagnose different types of
lung disorders, including inflammation, infections or cancer. Performed
by a pulmonologist, EBUS bronchoscopy uses a flexible tube that goes through
your mouth and into your windpipe and lungs. Similar to, though smaller
than, the device used during a colonoscopy, the EBUS scope has a video
camera with an ultrasound probe attached to create local images of your
lungs and nearby lymph nodes in order to accurately locate and evaluate
areas seen on x-rays or scans that need a closer look.
Biologic Therapy for Severe Asthma - Some patients still have frequent symptoms and exacerbations requiring
oral steroids despite being on more than one inhaler. Fortunately, there
are newer biologic treatments to help patients with severe asthma. Biologic
therapies can help reduce the frequency of exacerbations and improve the
quality of life in patients suffering with severe asthma.
Bronchial Thermoplasty - This innovative outpatient treatment can help patients who have severe
or persistent asthma that is not well controlled by asthma medications.
A specially-trained pulmonologist uses mild heat to decrease the amount
of excess smooth muscle tissue in the airways, reducing constriction during
an asthma attack.
Critical Care - We provide comprehensive inpatient critical care services for those
patients who require intensive care when admitted to the Intensive Care
Unit (ICU) at Boulder Community Health’s Foothills Hospital.
Respiratory Therapy - Our experienced respiratory therapists assist pulmonologists in diagnosing
illnesses and provide therapy, management and education to improve respiratory
health. They can educate patients with cardiac or pulmonary disease conditions
on self-management techniques designed to help individuals and families
deal with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD.
Pulmonary and Respiratory Care Rehabilitation - Our team of medical experts provides patients with chronic lung conditions
tools they can use to manage their condition and improve their quality
of life through:
- Comprehensive education
- Stress management
- Lifestyle modification
- Supervised exercise
- Medical testing
- Home exercise programs
Contact Us Today
At Boulder Community Health, we have licensed respiratory therapists available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation and
diagnostic testing is available by appointment with a physician referral.
Hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information,
call the BCH Cardiopulmonary Department at 303-415-4852.