Pulmonary Medicine & Rehabilitation

Outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation

The Outpatient Pulmonary rehabilitation program is designed to help people with pulmonary diseases including:

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  • Chronic Bronchitis
  • Pulmonary Emphysema
• Pulmonary Fibrosis (Interstitial Lung Disease)
• Pulmonary Sarcoidosis
• Other Pulmonary Disease

This program is designed to achieve a maximum level of functional independence. By combining education, exercise and individual therapy the Outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation program includes:

• Decreasing respiratory symptoms
• Relieving anxiety and depression
• Increasing a patient's ability to perform the tasks of daily living
• Increasing capacity of exercise and endurance
• Improving a patient's ability to return to work

The Outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program provides a full range of services, including:

• Individual evaluations
• Educational information
• Individually designed, monitored and unmonitored exercise
• Mutual Goal Setting
• Therapeutic Counseling
• Referrals for specialized services
• Post-program activity maintenance
• Home exercise prescription

Pulmonary Laboratory Diagnostic Services

Our Pulmonary Laboratory performs diagnostic examinations for the detection of pulmonary abnormalities and ventilatory efficiency, including:

• Spirometry (flow volume loop pre and post bronchodilator)
• Spirometry and lung volumes
• Complete pulmonary function, including spirometry, lung volumes, DLCOsb and ABGs
• Diffusing capacity single breath
• Diffusing capacity steady state, dead space and gas exchange
• Pulse oximetry, single resting and exercise
• Methacholine challenge test
• Pulmonary stress test
• Arterial blood gas analysis
• Carboxy hemoglobin with blood saturation

Respiratory Care

Respiratory Care, a division of Patient Care Services, functions under the medical direction of the chief of pulmonary/critical care medicine and the administrative direction of the director of patient care services. We are a centralized department in the hospital, available 24 hours a day, whose primary concentration of coverage is in the adult and neonatal intensive care units, intermediate care areas, the emergency response team and medical/surgical nursing floors.

The Respiratory Care Department:

• Employs over 40 licensed therapists
• Therapists actively participate in the multi-disciplinary health care team approach to quality patient care
• Our scope of practice encompasses patients of all ages with both acute and chronic pulmonary dysfunction or disease
• The respiratory care practitioner’s expertise is emergency response, ventilation management, evaluation and assessment, therapeutic treatment and diagnostic testing
• Emphasize and provide education to patients and their families, focusing on health promotion and health maintenance, designed to optimize each individual’s quality of life

Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) refer to a group of chronic lung disorders characterized by inflammation and scarring resulting in shortness of breath, significant exercise limitation, reduced quality of life and increased mortality. Lung damage from ILD could be progressive and irreversible. Treatment for ILD varies depending on the etiology, severity and clinical course. It centers around slowing the progression, relieving symptoms and improving quality of life with medications such as corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, anti-fibrotics, oxygen and lung transplantation. Pulmonary rehabilitation may also be useful in providing patients with the techniques to improve lung efficiency and physical endurance.

Since the diagnosis and treatment of ILD is unique and individualized to each patient, a multidisciplinary approach is vital. Our team consists of experts from the fields of pulmonology, thoracic surgery, radiology, pathology, rheumatology and respiratory therapy; to help design a treatment plan to meet these unique needs. Please contact Paula Bernardino, Office Manager, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care at Saint Francis Hospital for referrals to our dedicated ILD clinic.

Pulmonary and Critical Care Referrals:

• (860) 714-4055 (P)

• (860) 714-8038 (F)

Interventional pulmonology (IP), an advanced subspecialty of pulmonary medicine, focuses on using minimally invasive procedures and therapeutic techniques to diagnose and treat conditions in the lungs and chest. IP procedures yield exceptional outcomes and offer patients the potential advantage of avoiding more invasive surgery.

Our interventional pulmonologists, Anil Magge, MD and Amrita Karambelkar, MD, works hand-in-hand with an expert team of thoracic surgeons, oncologists, radiation oncologists and respiratory therapists to successfully manage complex airway and pleural diseases, including lung cancer and non-malignant diseases of the chest.

Every year millions of Americans experience fatigue, irritability, depression, lack of concentration and productivity, and accidents — all as a result of sleep disorders.

A sleep disorder is any condition that interrupts your normal sleep-wake patterns. That interruption can affect your nights, your days, your job, your family and your quality of life. It can also affect your health. Studies show lack of sleep or disruptions in sleep can increase your risk for high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. But as common as sleep disorders are, many people don't seek professional help because they don't realize it's available.

Trinity Health Of New England Sleep Laboratory and Pulmonary Medicine offers diagnosis and treatment for disorders, including:

Our Sleep Centers

At Trinity Health Of New England Sleep Medicine, we're here to help people return to normal, productive lives by diagnosing and treating common and complex sleep disorders. One of the very best ways to determine if you have a sleep disorder is to conduct a sleep study in our state-of-the-art, full service, accredited sleep center.

Our Sleep Center hub, located at Saint Francis Hospital, is accredited by The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and features comfortable, private rooms and a team of experienced professionals that will care for you throughout your stay. Each study is administered by one of our staff members and evaluated by one of our board-certified sleep medicine specialists.

About The Sleep Centers

Sleep studies are an ideal way to evaluate and diagnose what may be keeping you from getting the restful, restorative sleep you need. The study usually lasts one night into the next day and dependent on the findings, may require a second follow-up stay.

The process itself is fairly simple. During this test, patients arrive in the early evening and retire for the night wearing a simple telemetric halter. As they sleep, staff members monitor oxygen in the blood, restlessness, body position, snoring, heart and brain activity and other pertinent factors. Upon departing early the next morning, patients are free to resume their daily routine and activities.

If you feel you may benefit from completing a sleep study, speak with your primary care physician about a referral or call one of our sleep center locations at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Johnson Memorial Hospital’s Enfield Campus and Saint Francis Hospital for more information.