Respiratory medicine Pulmonology
Lungs and airways: chronic cough, breathlessness, asthma, chronic lung disease, sleep apnoea.
Who is usually sent here
A cough beyond three weeks, worsening breathlessness, coughing blood, an abnormal chest film, or loud snoring with daytime sleepiness.
What this specialty does NOT cover
Cardiac and respiratory breathlessness look identical from outside. If the picture leans cardiac they will refer, and the reverse happens too.
What a first visit usually involves
Listening to the chest, oxygen saturation, usually with lung function testing and a chest film.
Bring with you
Previous chest films, your inhalers (bring the actual devices), and the date the cough began.
Worth asking
- Am I using my inhaler correctly — please watch me
- How does my lung function compare with last time
- When does a flare-up need hospital