Advanced Lung Disease and Pre-Transplant Care
Virtua pulmonologists care for people with advanced lung disease and provide lung transplant evaluations close to home in South Jersey.
Our lung experts are here to help you maintain the highest quality of life through treatment for advanced lung diseases, such as severe COPD, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary hypertension. We also provide convenient, close-to-home lung transplant evaluations and post-lung transplant care in South Jersey.
Our Approach to Advanced Lung Disease Treatment
If you have a worsening lung condition, your pulmonologist or primary care provider may refer you to a specialized team at Virtua that provides care and evaluations for people with advanced lung disease.
Your care starts with a conversation between you and a Virtua advanced lung disease specialist. Given the challenges that worsening lung disease presents, we encourage you to bring family members to this initial appointment. Most office visits last 30 – 45 minutes.
We will discuss your medical history, current health status, and prognosis and listen to and answer all your questions. Our pulmonologists want to understand your life and health goals to individualize a treatment plan that helps you achieve them.
We may recommend additional testing to determine if you have any other medical conditions that could affect your breathing, such as coronary artery disease, acid reflux, or pulmonary hypertension. If needed, we’ll connect you with specialists, such as cardiologists or gastroenterologists, to help manage these conditions.
Your treatment plan could also include:
- Medications
- Nutrition and weight-loss support
- Pulmonary rehabilitation and strengthening
- Support from interventional pulmonologists to relieve breathing issues related to airway collapse or blockages
Our goal is to help prevent the need for lung transplantation by stabilizing your health, supporting your breathing, and helping you maintain your overall well-being and daily functions.
Lung Transplant Evaluations and Testing
If lung disease has severely damaged your lungs, Virtua provides comprehensive evaluation and testing to determine if you’re a candidate for lung transplantation surgery. Our goal is to identify and address any issues that could occur before, during, and after surgery.
Our lung nurse coordinator will guide you through each step of the evaluation process, schedule your appointments, and answer all your questions.
The evaluation and testing may include the following:
- Blood tests
- Cancer screenings, including breast or colon cancer screenings, as appropriate
- Dental screening to determine infection risks
- Heart tests, such as an echocardiogram, EKG, or cardiac catheterization to evaluate your heart function
- Imaging tests, such as CT scans or chest X-rays
- Physical therapy evaluation
- Pulmonary function tests
- Psychosocial evaluation that includes a psychiatrist and social worker to identify and address issues that could affect you before and after surgery and through recovery, such as your support system, financial resources, and other stressors
After completing your evaluation, you and your family will meet with the team again to discuss the results. If you’re a candidate for lung transplantation, you’ll discuss the next steps and how your Virtua team coordinates your care with the lung transplant center team.
Your pulmonologist advocates for you with these centers. This advocacy includes “listing” you for lung donation and ensuring that your listing is updated as the severity of your condition changes. It also includes providing comprehensive care to help you maintain your health while you’re waiting for your lung transplant.
Care After a Lung Transplant
After lung transplantation, your pulmonologist can continue to monitor your health during follow-up visits at Virtua. This includes coordinating your care plan with your transplant team, managing your post-transplant, anti-rejection medications and their side effects, administering breathing tests, and providing additional support and reassuring care.
Lung Transplant Second Opinions
If you have advanced lung disease and have been told you need a lung transplant, we would be happy to meet with you to review your medical history, imaging tests, and evaluations to confirm your diagnosis or offer you a second opinion on treatment options.
Call 888-847-8823 to schedule an appointment today.
Meet Virtua's Advanced Lung Disease Pulmonologists
Our pulmonologists are trained and experienced in advanced lung disease, lung transplantation evaluations, and post-surgery care. New patients are often seen in one to two weeks.
Advanced Lung Disease Expertise
Diseases We Treat:
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency
- Connective tissue and rheumatoid-arthritis-related lung disease
- Drug-induced interstitial lung disease
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- Interstitial lung disease
- Progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Sarcoidosis
- Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including pulmonary emphysema
- Scleroderma lung disease
Tests and Treatments:
Virtua advanced lung disease specialists collaborate with interventional cardiologists and interventional pulmonologists to diagnose and manage your condition. Tests and treatments may include:
- Right heart catheterization: a procedure used to diagnose pulmonary hypertension that measures blood pressure in the right chambers of the heart and the pulmonary artery.
- Exercise right heart catheterization: a procedure used to diagnose pulmonary hypertension that assesses the function of the right heart during exercise.
- Zephyr valve COPD treatment: A one-way valve placed into your airway during a bronchoscopy that lets trapped air escape from damaged lung tissue.
We also offer:
- Outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation at locations in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties
- Second-opinion service for patients with complex or advanced lung conditions
- A dedicated nurse coordinator to help you navigate your evaluation process and treatments
Virtua Advanced Lung Disease Location
Our experienced, advanced lung disease pulmonologists provide care and pre-lung transplant evaluations at our Virtua Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine practice on Route 70 in Marlton, N.J.
Highly-rated patient care
In patient satisfaction surveys, our advanced lung disease specialists average the highest ratings for their care. The team is overwhelmingly recognized for being trustworthy, reassuring, knowledgeable, caring, compassionate, and patient while listening to and answering questions.
Highly-rated patient care
In patient satisfaction surveys, our advanced lung disease specialists average the highest ratings for their care. The team is overwhelmingly recognized for being trustworthy, reassuring, knowledgeable, caring, compassionate, and patient while listening to and answering questions.
Recognized expertise in advanced lung disease care
Virtua’s advanced lung disease program is led by expert pulmonologists who are fellowship-trained in pulmonary critical care and experienced in lung transplantation. Our doctors have authored and published several peer-reviewed articles on advanced COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, and lung transplantation.
Recognized expertise in advanced lung disease care
Virtua’s advanced lung disease program is led by expert pulmonologists who are fellowship-trained in pulmonary critical care and experienced in lung transplantation. Our doctors have authored and published several peer-reviewed articles on advanced COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, and lung transplantation.
Innovative diagnostic testing for pulmonary hypertension
Virtua offers right heart catheterization, a diagnostic procedure that measures blood pressure in the right chambers of the heart and the pulmonary artery. This test, performed by experienced interventional cardiologists, is typically used to diagnose pulmonary hypertension and inform treatment recommendations.
Innovative diagnostic testing for pulmonary hypertension
Virtua offers right heart catheterization, a diagnostic procedure that measures blood pressure in the right chambers of the heart and the pulmonary artery. This test, performed by experienced interventional cardiologists, is typically used to diagnose pulmonary hypertension and inform treatment recommendations.
Comprehensive expertise
Our lung program features a team of thoracic surgeons, interventional pulmonologists, pulmonary specialists, nurses, and therapists who collaborate to keep your lungs healthy and strong.
Comprehensive expertise
Our lung program features a team of thoracic surgeons, interventional pulmonologists, pulmonary specialists, nurses, and therapists who collaborate to keep your lungs healthy and strong.
Recognized excellence
The American College of Radiology has designated Virtua as a certified Lung Cancer Screening Center. We're also recognized as a Center of Excellence by the GO2 for Lung Cancer Foundation.
Recognized excellence
The American College of Radiology has designated Virtua as a certified Lung Cancer Screening Center. We're also recognized as a Center of Excellence by the GO2 for Lung Cancer Foundation.
Schedule an Appointment
Schedule an initial appointment or second-opinion evaluation with a Virtua advanced lung disease specialist.