What happened this week? 5/15/2017

Before our Pulmonary class this Tuesday, I was able to observe a presentation by a doctor at Valley Hospital explaining the new techniques used to diagnose and treat different levels of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). The department in which I work, deals with patients suffering from COPD every day. However, there have been recent studies that help clinicians create a care plan more specific for individual patients. There are many factors to consider when diagnosing COPD, including, sex, height, weight, oxygen intake, scar tissue of the lungs, etc. The doctor had mentioned that the leading cause of COPD is in fact smoking. Smoking creates a large amount of scar tissue, while also creating inflammation, making it difficult to breathe. One fact that I found especially interesting is that the number of smokers globally has reached a record high. I would have thought with all that we know and the harmful effects, the numbers would decrease. It is extremely important to educate others on the serious effects to help prevent disease. The presentation overall was extremely interesting and I was glad to get a better understanding of COPD.