If you’re living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we know how hard it can be to breathe, let alone do the things you love.

At Gateway Regional Medical Center, our lung health experts can help you starting feeling, and living, like you again. We offer a full range of treatment options to relieve your specific symptoms, plus the education and support you need to manage your condition with confidence.

Breathe Easier with Personalized Treatments

Every person’s COPD – including chronic bronchitis, emphysema or both – is different. One of our board-certified pulmonologists will work with you to create a personal plan based on your unique needs.

Treatment options may include one or a combination of:

Lifestyle Changes

• Simple adjustments, including eating right and exercising regularly, can often significantly improve your breathing and quality of life. If you smoke, quitting is the most important change you can make.

Medications

• A variety of medicines can help reduce swelling and open your airways. Some of the most effective options for mild COPD are called bronchodilators, which you breathe in through an inhaler. These can be both short-acting for when you experience symptoms, including cough or shortness of breath, or long-acting, which you take every day to prevent symptoms. A newer drug, called roflumilast (Daliresp), can help with frequent COPD flare-ups. It combines a bronchodilator with an inhaled steroid to combat inflammation.
• Respiratory infections, such as acute bronchitis, pneumonia and influenza, can aggravate COPD symptoms. Antibiotics help

Oxygen Therapy

• Severe COPD can prevent your lungs from getting enough air. This means oxygen levels in your blood can get too low, which can damage your organs and sap your energy. Oxygen therapy, supplied through a home unit or lightweight tank you can carry with you, can help restore these levels so you can stay active and healthy.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

• Our program at Gateway Regional Medical Center combines education, exercise training, nutritional guidance and counseling to keep your lung strong and enhance your overall health and wellness. Your dedicated team of specialists includes respiratory therapists who can teach you breathing and relaxation techniques to use throughout the day.

Surgery

• While non-invasive techniques are usually highly effective, sometimes your doctor may recommend surgery to treat severe COPD. These procedures work by improving obstructions to your air flow, or removing diseased lung tissue to allow the healthy parts of your lungs to expand and work more efficiently.
• If you have severe lung damage, you may qualify for a transplant, in which your doctor replaces your lung and replaces with a healthy one from a donor.

Don’t let COPD keep you from your life. See a specialist today and start taking back control.