Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine

The division treats a range of lung diseases, pulmonary, allergy disorders and sleep disorders. Pulmonologists have expertise and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of all diseases encompassed by their specialty. We attract patients locally and from around the region who seek a definitive diagnosis and state of the art treatments often for their rare and complex lung diseases and respiratory disorders.
The division works in close collaboration with the Division of Thoracic Surgery, the Critical Care Unit, Inhalation Therapy Unit and the Physiotherapy Unit.

Clinical Services:

• Outpatients Clinics
• Bronchoscopy unit
• Respiratory Care for Chronic ventilation therapy, especially non-invasive ventilation
• Preoperative evaluation
• Pulmonary Function Laboratory
• State of the art Sleep Laboratory

Bronchoscopy unit

• Fiberoptic bronchoscopy
• Endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopy procedure (EBUS) with biopsies

Neurophysiology Laboratory
The sleep Laboratory at the LAUMC-SJH is a state of the art Neurophysiology Laboratory. The laboratory was the first Sleep Laboratory in Lebanon and the Middle East region. With a high expertise and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of all Sleep Diseases (Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg syndrome, Narcolepsy…..). We pride ourselves on personalized follow up and patient education. This attracts patients locally and from around the region to seek a definitive diagnosis and state of the art treatments often for rare and complex Sleep disorders. The Sleep Laboratory works in close collaboration with the Neurology Division.

Tests performed in the Sleep Lab include

• Attended Polysomnography
• Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT)
• Manual CPAP titration

Pulmonary Function Lab
The Pulmonary Function Lab performs a number of respiratory tests on patients, including inpatients, outpatients, direct referrals from doctors and other hospitals. For most patients these tests take about 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

The unit provides a comprehensive range of investigations in order to:

• Contribute to diagnosis
• Provide objective assessment of how a disease/condition affects the lung function
• Monitor improvement with treatment or in deterioration with time
• Perform a number of respiratory tests which include:
  • Spirometry
  • Flow volume loops
  • Lung volumes and transfer factor tests
  • Bronchodilator studies
  • Exercise-induced bronchospasm
  • Arterial blood gases

All routine tests are performed using bacterial/viral filters, which prevent any risk of cross-contamination. The lung function test results will usually be available almost immediately after the tests have been completed or 24 hours later if a report is required.
Any patient that is referred to our laboratory will need to have an appointment and a referral letter or a duly completed request form informing us of the patient’s clinical history.