Lung Disease
Our pulmonology specialists provide comprehensive care for people with common and complex breathing problems. Aurora BayCare has the depth of experience to treat a broad spectrum of lung disease.
We help patients with shortness of breath, asthma, COPD, or a host of other respiratory issues. The lung specialists at Aurora BayCare are ready to evaluate your condition and help you breathe easier.
The Aurora BayCare pulmonology team addresses conditions such as:
- Asthma
- Breathing disorders
- Chronic cough
- Chronic respiratory failure
- COPD
- Cystic fibrosis
- Emphysema
- Lung disease
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Respiratory failure
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic lung disease in which your bronchial tubes (your airways) become inflamed. Symptoms can include wheezing, coughing, tightness in your chest, difficulty breathing, and severe shortness of breath.
Our specialists can help you find the right treatment and lifestyle changes to control your asthma. We offer a full range of asthma care to children and adults. Our asthma therapies include fast-acting medication to relieve your symptoms as well as longer-acting medication to prevent your symptoms from occurring.
We also offer the latest and most effective therapies, including bronchial thermoplasty. This procedure helps open your airways to relieve wheezing and tightness. For severe asthma, bronchial thermoplasty may provide significant relief and improvement in your quality of life. Aurora BayCare was one of the first hospitals to offer bronchial thermoplasty in Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
COPD is a group of diseases that limit the airflow in your lungs. This is a progressive disease, meaning it will typically get worse over time. Common conditions included in COPD include chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
At Aurora BayCare, you’ll have access to the most effective treatments and the latest clinical trials. Our COPD services include advanced diagnostics, drug therapy, surgical treatment options, and specialized pulmonary rehab therapy.
Our team of specialists will help you manage your COPD to improve your comfort and quality of life. Our goal is to help you be as symptom-free as possible.
Lung Cancer
At Aurora BayCare, we focus on early detection of lung cancer. Our state-of-the-art screening is designed for those who have a high risk of developing lung cancer. Aurora BayCare uses CT scans that improve your chances of survival.
With early detection, you have more treatment options and a greater chance of long-term survival. If early screening indicates you may have lung cancer, you will be quickly scheduled for follow-up tests. Further testing may include an MRI, robotic bronchoscopy, plueuroscopy, ultrasound, and/or CT-guided fine needle biopsy.
If you are diagnosed with lung cancer, we take an aggressive approach. Patients with lung cancer are seen in our multidisciplinary cancer clinics. These initial, single-day consults reduce the time between diagnosis and treatment.
Here you’ll find advanced treatment options including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, minimally invasive treatments and surgery. You also have access to the latest clinical trials. We provide coordinated care personalized to your disease, as well as supportive care for you and your entire family.
Our full service lung cancer services include testing, treatment options, clinical trials, and integrative medicine. We welcome second opinion requests.
Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)
Interstitial lung disease is a broad group of diseases that affect the supporting tissues between the air sacs of your lungs. Common characteristics include pulmonary fibrosis (thickening or scarring) and lung inflammation. Symptoms may include a persistent dry cough or shortness of breath.
Our team of specialists will help you manage your ILD to improve your comfort and quality of life. Our goal is to help you be as symptom-free as possible. Treatment options depend on the cause and severity of your condition, but may include steroids, immune suppressants, chemotherapy, or lifestyle modifications.
Pulmonary Hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is high blood pressure that affects the arteries in your heart and lungs. One common symptom is shortness of breath. Other types of lung disease such as COPD, emphysema, and interstitial lung disease can contribute to pulmonary hypertension.
We take a team approach to care, working alongside specialists in cardiology. To diagnose the condition, you may undergo an exercise test. This helps us distinguish PH from other lung diseases. Further tests, such as cardiac catheterization, can provide a more complete diagnosis.
Depending on your condition, treatment may include medication to manage your high blood pressure.
Sarcoidosis
This inflammatory disease can affect any organ of the body, but it’s most often found in your lungs. If you have sarcoidosis, you have abnormal masses called granulomas. These masses damage your lungs and prevent them from working the way they should. Some people with sarcoidosis have very few symptoms while others develop a serious condition.
Our team of specialists will help you manage your sarcoidosis to improve your comfort and quality of life. Our goal is to help you be as symptom-free as possible.
Sarcoidosis often affects more than one organ, so you may need to see a team of specialists. We provide a team approach with individual patient care and continued follow-up to meet your changing needs.
Leading Respiratory Care
We can help you manage your lung disease with a variety of therapies, medication, and respiratory rehab. Our lung team includes pulmonologists, nurses, and respiratory therapists. Together, they will create a customized care plan based on leading medical evidence and emerging therapies.
In addition to the clinical care provided by our lung team, our services include expertise in thoracic imaging and pulmonary rehabilitation. Pulmonologists regularly collaborate with physicians in cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, oncology and rheumatology.