Pulmonary care services in New Mexico
Pulmonology is a branch of internal medicine that deals with diseases and conditions involving the respiratory tract. The pulmonologists within the Lovelace Health System are specially trained to care for a variety of chest, throat, and lung conditions. Our lung disease specialists provide comprehensive pulmonary healthcare services, including treatments for chronic and acute lung conditions. We are also equipped to provide lung cancer screenings, life support services, and mechanical ventilation. Whether you have a consistent cough that won’t go away or a more serious condition like lung cancer, our pulmonologists and lung disease specialists are prepared to offer exceptional respiratory treatments you can rely on.
Pulmonary conditions we treat
Our pulmonologists treat a wide range of respiratory conditions, including:
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Chronic cough
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Emphysema
- Lung cancer
- Pneumonia
- Tuberculosis
Should you require respiratory treatment for another condition not listed above, rest assured that our pulmonary care team will work diligently to ensure you receive the treatment you need to breathe easy again.
Lung cancer screening
If you are a smoker, have been a smoker in the past, or know a smoker, then the threat of lung cancer has likely crossed your mind more than once. For most, it’s a disconcerting feeling that leaves one unsure of where to turn. At Lovelace, we offer deep lung biopsies using the Ion endoluminal system — a precise, minimally-invasive method to detect lung cancer, available at Lovelace Medical Center. The Ion system features an ultra-thin, ultra-maneuverable catheter that allows navigation far into the peripheral lung. Unprecedented stability enables the precision needed for biopsy compared to manual techniques.
Part of your deep lung biopsy will involve a bronchoscopy. This procedure allows a doctor to see the airways in the lungs. With the Ion endoluminal system, the physician navigates to the target along a planned path. The catheter can move 180° in any direction to pass through small, difficult-to-navigate airways and around tight bends to reach all 18 segments of the lung. Ion’s peripheral vision probe provides direct vision during navigation.
Once the pulmonary nodule is reached, the catheter locks in place. The Flexision biopsy needle — a flexible biopsy needle compatible with Ion — then passes through the catheter, even when positioned in tortuous airways. After advancing around tight-radius bends of the catheter, the needle deploys into the target location on a straight path.
Ion is made by Intuitive, the company that makes the da Vinci Surgical System, and is built on more than two decades of leadership in robotic-assisted technology. Lovelace physicians are thrilled to be a leader in this field and look forward to more precise detection and treatment of lung cancer cases through minimally invasive, robot-assisted options.