We Want You to Breathe Easier and Better

The Pulmonary Diagnostic and Wellness Center at Bryn Mawr Hospital is an outpatient diagnostic and rehabilitation program offered for people with lung and respiratory disorders. The center has fully equipped and staffed site which includes a Pulmonary Function Laboratory for diagnosis and a comprehensive Pulmonary Rehabilitation program.

Program participants meet three times a week for six weeks. Each two-hour session uses education and exercise to help reduce respiratory symptoms and optimize the participant’s capability to carry out daily activities.

Respiratory therapists and other health care professionals, under the direction of a pulmonologist, will establish an appropriate individualized program to help patients work toward their goals. A longer term maintenance program is also offered to patients completing the initial program. Programs are available on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.

Conditions treated include:

• Asthma
• Emphysema
• Bronchitis
• Influenza
• Sleep disorders

Our Services:

• Spirometry: Screening for pulmonary function abnormalities; force vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in the first second (FEV1) peak flow (PEF) and FEV1/FVC%.

• Spirometry Pre and Post: Measures reversibility of obstruction (e.g. asthma).

• Lung Volumes: Assesses hyperinflation or restrictive disease. Measures functional residual capacity (FRC) using either a Plethysmography or nitrogen washout. Total Lung Capacity (TLC) and residual volume (RV) are calculated.

• Diffusion Capacity: Measures the efficiency of gas transfer from alveoli into pulmonary circulation (DLCO). Assesses diseases affecting pulmonary vascular bed (e.g. interstitial lung disease, emphysema). Diffusion is affected by changes in Hgb. Provide a recent Hgb, and we will report a corrected value.

• Maximum Voluntary Ventilation: Assesses respiratory muscle strength.

• Maximum Inspiratory and Expiratory Pressures: Assesses respiratory muscle strength (e.g. Neuromuscular disease).

• Bronchial Provocation/Methacholine Challenge: Diagnosis atypical asthma. Special spirograms performed after inhalation of increasing concentrations of methacholine.

• CardioPulmonary Stress Testing: Maximum exercise with breath-by-breath analysis of expired gases and ECG. Rest and exercise ABGs may be drawn. Parameters reported include: VO2max, anaerobic threshold, O2 pulse and Vd/Vt (dead space to tidal volume ratio). Determines the etiology of dyspnea in patients for whom other tests have proven inconclusive. Recent PFTs and Pulmonary Physician a pre-requisite.

• High Altitude Simulation Testing: Measures patient's heart rhythm via 12-lead ECG, oxygen saturation and heart rate while the patient is breathing 15.1% oxygen (simulates 8000-10,000 feet altitude). Useful for questionable patients prior to air travel or travel to a higher altitude.

• Arterial Blood Gas Acquisition: Measurement of pH, PaCO2, PaO2 and SaO2. May be performed at rest and at peak exercise.

• Physical Performance Walk Test: Measures distance in feet walked during a six minute period. Oxygen saturation and heart rate are monitored by pulse oximetry. Heart rhythm may be recorded via 3-lead ECG if requested.

• Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy: Direct visualization of the upper and lower airways and collection of specimens or removal of foreign objects.

• Pulmonary Rehabilitation: For patients with chronic lung diseases, a six week outpatient program provides exercise therapy, education and emotional support. Encourages patients to pursue functional independence and minimize the debilitating effects of their disease.

• Exercise Maintenance: Allows patients who have completed a pulmonary rehabilitation program to use our exercise facilities.

• Inspiratory Muscle Training: Teaches techniques to strengthen the ventilatory muscles and increase endurance.

• FLUTTER/PEP Therapy: Helps mobilize bronchial secretions and treat atelectasis.

• Transtracheal Oxygen Therapy: Delivers supplemental oxygen directly into the trachea, through a small flexible catheter. This method replaces the nasal cannula. The catheter insertion in a minor, outpatient, surgical procedure, performed under local anesthesia.