Department of Pulmonary Medicine is a tertiary referral centre for pulmonary diseases. The department has done pioneering work & benefited patients in the field of tuberculosis, asthma, allergy, COPD, lung cancers and infectious lung diseases.

The department also boasts of advanced pulmonary function testing systems including FENO- an apparatus introduced for the first time in India for optimizing asthma management. It is also equipped with fibreoptic video bronchoscope for early diagnosis of lung cancer & pneumonias. 

There are advanced pulmonary function laboratory including FeNO apparatus & cardiopulmonary pulmonary exercise testing system. High-quality video bronchoscope system is also available. Skin prick allergy testing unit also functions under this department.

Key Features

• One of the first departments to be established in a medical college in South Kanara district
• Highly experienced, skilled, dedicated and qualified faculty
  
• Faculty members are trained & experienced medical graduate teachers imbibing recent teaching techniques
  
• Advanced pulmonary function laboratory
• Dedicated bronchoscopy suite.

Collaborations

• The department is a nodal centre for government run Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP)
• The department is also involved in the conduct of clinical trials for new drugs. These trials are sponsored by multi-national companies. Some of the conditions for which drug(s) are being tested out are Asthma & COPD

About the area of study

Pulmonary medicine is a broad speciality in medicine. It deals primarily with diseases afflicting the lungs. It also encompasses areas like critical care, sleep medicine. The speciality in its formative years dealt mainly with tuberculosis. However; in the recent years it has made forays into areas of diagnostics procedures & interventions like bronchoscopy & thoracoscopy. The discipline is a rapidly growing speciality with immense promise and hope for the future. It also works in tandem with government to control tuberculosis as a part of DOTS strategy.

Pulmonologist have made noteworthy contributions to the society in dealing with the menace of tuberculosis over the years. The profile of a pulmonologist is gradually changing to combating allergies, smoking related lung ailments & occupational lung diseases. Pulmonologists are branching into specialities like sleep medicine, critical care, bronchoscopists & allergologist.