Respiratory Services at Alexian Brothers
The mission of Alexian Brothers Respiratory Services is to improve quality and expand services in respiratory medicine. The first initiative was the establishment of The Lung Diagnostic Center, which provides advanced diagnostic testing services, including pulmonary function testing, integrated cardiopulmonary exercise testing and upper airway evaluation for vocal cord dysfunction syndrome.
Over the last two years, the Alexian Health System has established a multidisciplinary lung cancer team that reviews cases and strives to ensure that patients are evaluated and treated in a manner supported by national guidelines. A newly developed CT lung cancer screening program has served hundreds of patients and includes spirometry screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The recruitment of a dedicated lung surgeon has raised the quality bar with minimally invasive techniques, shorter hospital days and adherence to national guidelines in the approach to lung cancer surgery. The acquisition of one of the nation's leaders in interventional pulmonology makes the Alexian Health System the first in the Chicago area to establish this service that offers a higher level of care through advanced endoscopic and pleural procedures.
The Alexian Sleep Health Center is premier in the Chicago area in both quality and quantity. The sleep staff includes a nationally recognized pediatric sleep specialist who has allowed the program to develop high quality service in the important and underserved area of pediatric sleep. The Alexian Sleep Health Center was founded to help physicians and other healthcare professionals diagnose and treat patients with sleep disorders including sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome and insomnia. The Alexian Brothers Medical Center sleep laboratory was relocated and modernized to service pediatric sleep and to allow expansion to 20 beds. A new sleep laboratory is being constructed on the St. Alexius Medical Center campus.
A respiratory research center is being established with dedicated space and staff. Research interests include new procedures for the diagnosis and therapy of lung cancer, asthma, and emphysema; devices to improve sleep health; and medications for asthma, COPD and sleep.
