Clinics for COPD

Comprehensive COPD and Advanced Emphysema Center

Our goal at UTHealth Houston is to provide high-quality, standardized clinical care to patients suffering with advanced obstructive lung disease. Obstructive lung disease can take many forms including COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, and chronic asthma. We provide a tailored, evidence-based approach to lung health based on current clinical practice guidelines as well as years of experience from our expert clinicians.

What is COPD?

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is characterized by long standing symptoms like breathlessness and increased mucus production in the setting of airway or lung tissue damage that impairs normal lung function. When most people hear COPD they think of lung disease caused by smoking but many things can cause chronic lung destruction over time. Because of this, each case of COPD is unique and requires careful evaluation, or phenotyping, to determine the most specific diagnosis and treatment plan for their chronic care.  We also consider air pollutant and occupational exposures (air pollution, wildfire smoke, heat, and workplace exposures) that may contribute to respiratory symptoms and COPD exacerbations. Finally, we provide strategies to reduce COPD exacerbations and help patients transition safely from the hospital back to home, including medication optimization, education, pulmonary rehabilitation, and close follow-up. COPD frequently occurs alongside other cardiopulmonary conditions, including sleep-disordered breathing and cardiovascular disease. Our team considers these conditions when developing an individualized treatment plan.

Diagnostic and Therapeutic options will be tailored to you and may include:

Evaluation & Personalized Diagnosis

• Pulmonary function testing
• Exercise testing
• Advanced imaging and emphysema assessment
• FeNO testing when appropriate
• Genetic testing
• Lung cancer screening

Personalized Medical Therapy

• Inhaler therapy optimization and coaching
• Biologic therapy when appropriate
• Steroid and nonsteroid oral therapies when indicated
• Smoking and nicotine cessation
• Breathlessness management

Longevity Focused COPD Care

• Pulmonary rehabilitation
• Supplemental oxygen
• Noninvasive ventilation

Advanced Emphysema Therapies

• Endobronchial valve lung volume reduction
• Surgical lung volume reduction
• Lung transplant evaluation

Clinical Research and Continuous Quality Improvement Infrastructure

We strive to bring innovative clinical research opportunities directly to our patients and are continuously reviewing trials relevant to COPD and advanced emphysema. Our program then uses continuous quality improvement to evaluate outcomes, improve care processes, and incorporate evidence-based therapies and emerging treatments into clinical practice. We are particularly interested in understanding how air pollution and occupational exposures may affect respiratory health and COPD exacerbations. If you are interested in finding out more about our current clinical trials, please contact us here.

Our Lead Physicians

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