Asthma Dyspnea Center
Dyspnea refers to shortness of breath or breathing discomfort. The Asthma and Dyspnea Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a multidisciplinary program that brings together pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, specially trained nurses and physical therapists to provide comprehensive assessments and therapies for individuals with asthma and COPD as well as for those patients who experience breathing discomfort for unclear reasons. The Center is also devoted to understanding the causes of and ways to relieve the symptom of shortness of breath.
The Center makes use of the latest diagnostic technology and offers a comprehensive, individualized pulmonary rehabilitation program for patients with significant functional limitations due to shortness of breath. Patient and family education is a major component of the rehabilitation program. For those individuals who require home oxygen, a range of options are available, including transtracheal catheters, which provide greater comfort and mobility for many patients with emphysema.
Specific physical therapy interventions may include:
- Comprehensive interdisciplinary assessment
- Oxygen/medication work-up
- Functional limitation/disability assessment
- Postural/musculoskeletal evaluation
- Exercise testing
- Individualized programs to achieve symptom reduction and improve functional capacity
- Consideration for transtracheal oxygen therapy
Patients can expect to:
- Meet a doctor, nurse and physical therapist trained to understand problems with breathing
- Find out if there are medications to help you
- Learn what really restricts your activity
- Decide if an individualized program might help you.
