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Pulmonology (Respiratory Health)

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Service Overview

Pulmonology addresses conditions that affect your chest and lungs.

Infections, asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema and lung disease can leave you breathless. Many heart conditions can affect your breathing and your lungs, too.

Whether a cold may have turned into bronchitis, or you need relief from a condition like asthma, our pulmonary specialists can help.

Conditions & Treatments

As an organization, here are some of the pulmonary conditions we treat:

    • Acidosis
    • Acute and chronic pulmonary embolisms
    • Alkalosis
    • Asthma
    • Bronchiectasis
    • Bronchitis
    • Central Airway Obstruction (CAO)
    • Chronic pulmonary heart diseases (including pulmonary hypertension)
    • Collapsed lung (pneumothorax)
    • COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
    • Cystic fibrosis
    • Duchenne muscular dystrophy
    • Emphysema, including lung volume reduction surgery
    • Empyema
    • Evaluation of shortness of breath
    • Fungal infections of the lung
    • Granulomatous lung diseases
    • Hepatopulmonary syndrome
    • Interstitial lung disease
    • Lung cancer
    • Lung nodules
    • Metastatic respiratory system cancer
    • Non-tuberculous mycobacteria
    • Pleural effusions and pleural infections
    • Pneumonia Pneumonitis (due to solids or liquids)
    • Portopulmonary hypertension
    • Pulmonary disease
    • Pulmonary edema
    • Pulmonary embolism
    • Pulmonary fibrosis/Interstitial lung disease
    • Pulmonary hypertension
    • Pulmonary vascular diseases
    • Pulmonary sarcoidosis
    • Sarcoidosis
    • Sleep apnea (Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea)
    • Spinal muscular atrophy
    • Respiratory failure
    • Tuberculosis
    • Wegener's granulomatosis

Pediatric Conditions & Treatments

Pediatric Pulmonary Function Test Lab

The Pediatric Pulmonary Function Test Laboratory (PFT Lab) at Kapiʻolani performs tests that show how well your child's lungs are working. Our trained caregivers understand children and their needs to ensure the best results for your child.

Pediatric Pulmonary Function Test Lab Services

The Pediatric PFT Lab provides the following services to assess, diagnose and manage chest and lung conditions in infants and children: 

  • Bronchodilator testing: Tests lung function and effectiveness of medication.
  • Diffusion: Measures gas exchange from lungs to blood stream.
  • Exercise testing: Tests of exercise capacity, including six-minute walk and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), to help evaluate lung function.
  • High-altitude simulation testing: Determine if supplemental oxygen is needed when flying on an airplane.
  • Maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure tests: Measures lung muscle strength.
  • Plethysmography: Measures lung volume.
  • Spirometry: Tests the maximum force of a patient’s breath after inhalation and exhalation.
  • Tracheostomy manometry: Aids in tracheostomy management.

How to Schedule a Pulmonary Function Test

Pulmonary function tests are by referral only. If you are concerned about your child’s lung health, please speak with their pediatrician, primary care provider or pulmonologist. They will help determine if lung function testing is right for your child.

Patient Resources

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Support Group

Enjoy food, fellowship and information about living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Join via Zoom or in-person at the Straub Benioff Medical Library.

Pulmonary Function Test Lab

Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are tests that show how well your lungs are working. The tests measure lung volume, capacity, rates of flow and gas exchange.

This helps your provider diagnose and determine treatment of certain lung disorders.

The PFT Lab supports patients who need oxygen for every day activities like shopping.

Pulmonology Q&A with Dr. Samuel Evans | About Brachial Thermoplasty, Lung Cancer, and Navigational Bronchoscopy

View transcript
so a bronchial thermoplasty is really
not a complicated or difficult procedure
it's a relatively low-risk procedure
it's three sessions each session takes
me about an hour patient recovers for
two hours and then they go home and what
we're doing is using a heated coil in
the Airways it's about the temperature
of a hot cup of coffee we're not burning
anything we're heating up the Airways
and what that causes is the smooth
muscle around the airway to atrophy or
go away so that the airway can't
constrict anymore and that means less
wheezing and less bronchospasm and
shortness of breath
so there is a specific population we're
looking at and this is the asthmatic
with severe persistent symptoms despite
a maximal regimen and what I mean by a
maximal regimen is we already have them
on all the inhalers we have them on oral
medications and many for many of them
it's just not enough and they end up on
prednisone systemic steroids and they
can't come off of it or they're getting
immunomodulatory injections every two
weeks or four weeks which are very
expensive and painful and time-consuming
for the patient to come like that so
those are usually the patients that
we're thinking about bronchial
thermoplasty for it's not a cure of
asthma but from what I've seen in my
patients it's it makes the asthma
substantially better to the point where
patients can come off the steroids and
off the immunomodulators
I think in the long run it's clearly a
money saver if you have a patient who's
on years and years of systemic
prednisone the sequelae of that is hip
replacements cataract surgeries they can
get stomach ulcers GI bleeding so lots
of complications and so if we can just
eliminate the steroids alone I think
there's a cost saving so if we could
just do a procedure that will help keep
the patient off steroids that would be a
cost savings long-term for sure
so lung cancer is abnormal proliferation
of tissues within the lung we currently
classify it into two main subsets small
cell lung cancer and non small cell lung
cancer from which there are additional
subsets lung cancer is one of the more
common causes of cancer here in Hawaiʻi
it's also the leading cause of cancer
mortality in Hawaiʻi
unfortunately many patients with lung
cancer don't have any symptoms until
late in their disease course and so
often I'm seeing a patient and making
the diagnosis of lung cancer when
they're in an advanced stage
there is there's CT screening for if you
meet certain criteria pack years of
smoking age range so we will use use
those criteria to screen certain
high-risk patients maybe if you have a
family history of lung cancer and you're
a smoker be important to screen so we do
CT screening on patients
well if the cancer is caught early
enough and it hasn't spread in their
stage is appropriate then surgery would
would be the ultimate for cure sometimes
depending on this stage we'll offer
either chemotherapy before or after
surgery if the patient's stage is
advanced and they're not a candidate for
surgical resection for cure and there
are effective chemotherapy and radiation
regimens another newer more important
modality is targeted therapy so the
treatment of lung cancer is advanced to
the point we're now able to identify
markers on the tumor cells themselves if
you are patient that expresses those
markers we have medications that target
them directly more specific therapy
so navigational bronchoscopy is a newer
technique that allows us to reach spots
in the lung or lesions that
traditionally would only have been able
to be accessed by a surgery and so what
I tell my patients is this technology is
kind of like GPS for your car we use
their cat scan to make a road map ahead
of time in the airways out to a specific
lesion and then we bring the patient in
and using bronchoscopy and this
technique we can navigate to the lesion
and biopsy it non-invasively pretty much
so the patient doesn't have to have
surgery

Pulmonology Q&A with Dr. Samuel Evans | Learn more about Brachial Thermoplasty for asthma, Lung Cancer, and Navigational Bronchoscopy.

Care at Kapiʻolani

If you have a child with a lung- and breathing-related condition, you can count on our experts to provide outstanding care.

Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children provides comprehensive pediatric respiratory care services for patients in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region.

We have a specialized Pediatric Pulmonary Function Test Lab (Pediatric PFT Lab) to support your child and ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment. 

Child sitting inside a special booth, breathing into equipment to test lung function.

Locations offering this service:

Kapi‘olani Pediatric Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine Clinic
Phone: 808-373-7566

Care at Pali Momi

The doctors at Pali Momi review, diagnose and treat breathing problems and lung diseases. We treat common issues like a long-lasting cough to more serious conditions like lung diseases.

The team works with other specialists to ensure all parts of a patient's condition are considered to develop a personalized care plan.

Lung Nodule Program at Pali Momi

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Hawaiʻi and worldwide. Data also shows that lung cancer rates are higher in our Asian and Pacific Islander populations. Even individuals who have never smoked can still be at risk for developing lung cancer.

Lung nodules are small growths in the lungs that are often found during an X-ray or CT scan for something else. Most of the time, these nodules are benign or noncancerous. Even if a nodule is not cancerous, early diagnosis and tracking is important to detect or rule out cancer.

The Lung Nodule Program at Pali Momi aims to personalize care for patients with lung nodules. Our approach focuses on early detection and treatment of lung cancer.

Our goal is to provide evidence-based medical therapies to Central and West Oʻahu. With our cutting-edge Ion robotic bronchoscopy platform, we are able to biopsy lung nodules found along the perimeter of the lung. These nodules were previously inaccessible without surgery.

A Multidisciplinary Team

The Lung Nodule Program brings together a multidisciplinary team of specialists that includes:

  • Pathologists

  • Pulmonologists

  • Oncologists

  • Radiologists

  • Thoracic surgeons

Our pulmonologists are trained in advanced procedures and perform navigational bronchoscopies and endobronchial ultrasound-guided biopsies. These advanced procedures provide patients with biopsy and staging in lung cancer in one appointment.

We work closely with thoracic surgeons and oncologists if cancer is diagnosed. This expedites care and may assist with photodynamic therapy, brachytherapy and intraoperative marking of lesions.

Care at Straub Benioff

Respiratory health at Straub Benioff starts with your primary care provider (PCP). If you have concerns about your lung health, your PCP can connect you with pulmonary experts who can assess, diagnose and treat breathing disorders and lung disease.

Locations offering this service:

Straub Benioff Medical Center – Hawaiʻi Kai Clinic
Phone: 808-396-6321

Care at Wilcox

On the island of Kauaʻi, Wilcox provides expert care for a range of health issues affecting the lungs and chest. Many types of lung problems require clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional.

Please consult with your primary care provider (PCP) about any concerns you may have about your lung health. 

Our Care Locations

Oʻahu

Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children Aerial view of Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children 1319 Punahou St. Honolulu, HI 96826 Phone: 808-983-6000 Get directions Details Kapi‘olani Pediatric Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine Clinic Kapi‘olani Pediatric Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine Clinic 1401 S. Beretania Street Suite 850 Honolulu, HI 96814 Phone: 808-373-7566 Get directions Details Pali Momi Medical Center Exterior of the Pali Momi Medical Center building with its large distinctive fountain sculpture. Pali Momi Medical Center 98-1079 Moanalua Road ‘Aiea, HI 96701 Phone: 808-486-6000 Get directions Details Straub Benioff Medical Center Exterior of Straub Benioff Medical Center. Straub Benioff Medical Center 888 S. King St. Honolulu, HI 96813 Phone: 808-522-4000 Get directions Details Straub Benioff Medical Center – Hawaiʻi Kai Clinic Straub Benioff Medical Center – Hawaiʻi Kai Clinic Koko Marina Shopping Center 7192 Kalanianaʻole Highway, Suite A200 Honolulu, HI 96825 Phone: 808-396-6321 Get directions Details

Kauaʻi

Wilcox Medical Center Exterior of Wilcox Medical Center. Wilcox Medical Center 3-3420 Kūhiō Highway Līhu‘e, HI 96766 Phone: 808-245-1100 Get directions Details