At the Yale Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) program, our highly trained and skilled specialists provide comprehensive and multidisciplinary treatment to patients with COPD, an inflammatory lung disease that obstructs airflow from the lungs, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. We care for individuals: With emphysema With chronic bronchitis With COPD with associated bronchiectasis With asthma/COPD overlap With COPD/obstructive sleep apnea overlap With combined emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis (in conjunction with our interstitial lung disease team) Who experience frequent disease exacerbations and/or hospitalizations Under consideration for surgical therapies for emphysema (such as bullectomy, lung volume reduction surgery, and lung transplantation) Who need a pre-operative respiratory assessment for other forms of surgery With a suspected genetic basis for their disease (such as alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency) With chronic respiratory failure related to COPD Patients suffering from COPD may experience flare-ups that require hospitalization, leaving them feeling weaker. Our physicians tailor treatment plans to help them manage their COPD so that they can live life to the fullest. Our physicians are also exploring therapies and medications that can help patients in the future. Whether patients have mild symptoms, need rehabilitation, or assisted ventilation, we can help. We also offer lung volume reduction surgery or lung transplantation to eligible patients. The Yale COPD program is staffed by two pulmonologists, a pulmonary specialist nurse practitioner, nurses, and respiratory therapists with special expertise in COPD. We arrange visits for patients with other specialist providers as needed, including cardiologists, thoracic surgeons, thoracic oncologists, palliative care specialists, otolaryngologists, allergists/immunologists, sleep medicine specialists, and health psychologists. The Yale COPD Program receives referrals for patients with difficult-to-control symptoms and/or frequent acute disease exacerbations, those who do not respond well to routine medical therapies, those with co-occurring complex medical conditions or overlap syndromes (as detailed above), those who may require surgical therapies, and those who have advanced disease with chronic respiratory failure. Providers in the COPD Program perform comprehensive evaluations and develop individualized care plans for all patients, with the goal of partnering closely with each patient’s primary care and other specialist providers. In addition, opportunities to participate in clinical research trials of new therapies in COPD are often available through our collaboration with the Yale Center for Asthma and Airways Disease (203-500-3808).

Our nationally and internationally recognized specialists offer comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment for patients who have diseases that affect the lungs and breathing. Our doctors are board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care and sleep medicine. We also have physicians who specialize in interventional pulmonary medicine. Our physicians work closely with colleagues in cardiothoracic surgery, diagnostic radiology, and pathology to provide comprehensive care. In the sleep centers, sleep specialists treat all varieties of sleep disorders. We treat patients in a large outpatient program in the Winchester Center for Lung Disease and through hospital inpatient and primary care services. Specialized physicians staff Yale's critical care services 24/7, and offer state-of-the-art critical care interventions. Winchester Center for Lung Disease is adjacent to a state-of-the-art Pulmonary Function Laboratory. Specialized care is offered in the following areas: Adult cystic fibrosis Asthma and airway diseases Bronchiectasis and chronic pulmonary infections Cardiorespiratory exercise testing Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Clinical research in all lung diseases Interstitial lung disease Lung cancer screening and pulmonary nodule evaluation Medical intensive care unit Multidisciplinary sleep care Pulmonary embolism Pulmonary function laboratory Pulmonary vascular disease Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders Thoracic interventional pulmonary embolism Thoracic oncology Tuberculosis Our Center for Pulmonary Medicine (P2MED) focuses on developing methods to apply precision medicine approaches to chronic lung disease. Our Interstitial Lung Disease Center is a Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation-recognized clinical care center, one of the first nine in the United States. Our Thoracic Interventional Program offers the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to diseases of the chest, including lung nodules and masses, enlarged lymph nodes, complex airways, and pleural effusions. Our Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program is recognized by PH and Scleroderma Foundation. We conduct clinical trials and observational studies in asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, and sarcoidosis. We have support groups and outreach activities for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis.

We employ a multidisciplinary approach to care for children’s asthma, which is the most common chronic respiratory illness in children, affecting 5 to 10% of all children in the United States, and accounting for the majority of missed school days. One-third of all emergency department visits are related to asthma, and it is the common reason children are admitted to hospitals.The goals of asthma therapy are to have children lead normal, active lives, and prevent the occurrence of frequent troublesome symptoms or the need for emergency visits and hospitalization. Asthma rates have been on the rise over the past 15 to 20 years. Although asthma cannot be cured, and may be a life-threatening illness, it can be well controlled with proper medication and education. All of our physicians and medical staff who participate in any aspect of children's asthma care work together as a team. This team, the Pediatric Asthma Care Team (PACT), includes pediatricians and pediatric pulmonologists, allergists, emergency department physicians, intensivists, a nurse practitioner, and certified asthma educators.