The Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, provides inpatient and outpatient consultation, evaluation and state-of-the-art treatment for a wide range of acute and chronic lung diseases. Diseases treated include acute respiratory failure, asthma, bronchitis, carbon monoxide poisoning, chronic cough, cystic fibrosis, dyspnea (shortness of breath), emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary rehabilitation, sleep disorders, pneumonia, tuberculosis and other pulmonary infections.

Patient care services are available at the main Rush campus in Chicago.

Pulmonary medicine services include:

• Highly specialized bronchoscopy services, including fiberoptic bronchoscopy
• Pulmonary function testing
• Bronchoprovocational testing
• Cardiopulmonary exercise testing
• Sweat chloride testing
• Airflight simulation
• Pulmonary education and rehabilitation to diagnose and treat patients (this service available at Rush Oak Park Hospital)

Innovative therapies for respiratory failure and asthma in the intensive care units include:

• Open lung/low tidal volume ventilation
• Nitric oxide
• Heliox

Physicians in the division also evaluate patients for sleep apnea and other sleep-related disorders, as well as cardiopulmonary disorders.

Robert A. Balk, MD, is head of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Critical care and pulmonary medicine specialists at Rush have been listed among Chicago's and America's best by Castle Connolly Ltd., a respected source of information about U.S. health care providers and institutions. For profiles of pulmonologists at Rush and physicians specializing in related areas, click here: Find a Doctor