The
John Edsall/John Wood Asthma Center and the Sarah E. Nash Children's Asthma
Center at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center encompass both dedicated
inpatient
services and specialized outpatient clinics. The goal of the Center is
to provide state-of-the art comprehensive care in the management of asthma
and allergy.
Specialized Diagnostic Services
The
John Edsall/John Wood Asthma Center is dedicated to providing comprehensive
care and education for patients with asthma and allergy. The Asthma Center,
staffed by Board Certified pulmonologists and allergists, a Clinical Nurse
Specialist, Asthma Educators, and Social Workers provide unique outpatient
care for individuals with asthma and support several educational and outreach
programs in the community. Patients are often evaluated using a multi-disciplinary
approach in conjunction with pulmonologists, allergists and nurse educators.
Specialists such as otolaryngologists (Ear Nose and Throat), dermatologists,
rehabilitation specialists,social workers, Visiting Nurse Services, osteoporosis
specialsits, gastroenterologists and psychologists are also available
for consultation as required.Pulmonary function testing, bronchoprovocation
testing, allergy testing and immunotherapy are available. Screening for
other diseases that are often associated with asthma, such as sinusitis,
rhinitis, nasal polyps and gastrointestinal reflux are performed on site.
In addition, Asthma Center staff reviews eac
h
individual's home and work environment to determine which indoor and outdoor
allergens might be triggering symptoms. When appropriate, patients are
referred to Visiting Nurse Services so that home visits may be made to
reinforce asthma education, review household environmental triggers and
decrease exposure in the home. All patients are provided with a written
asthma management plan and meet with the Clinical Nurse Specialist to
review the plan. They are taught early warning signs of asthma, triggers,
environmental control measures, medications and the correct use of inhalers.
Spacers and peak flow meters are provided for home use. Home and office
monitoring of pulmonary function utilizing a novel hand held spirometer
attached to computer software is utilized in patients with difficult to
control asthma or undiagnosed respiratory symptoms.
All patients have ready access to consultants such as nutritionists, exercise physiologists, ENT physicians, respiratory therapists, visiting nurses and social workers. Referring physicians are sent a written summary with treatment recommendations for each patient visit at the Asthma Center.
24-Hour Availability
Physicians
are available to speak with patients by telephone 24 hours per day. They
are available to provide advice for patients, and for discussion with
referring physicians. Patients are encouraged to call to discuss changes
in symptoms and appropriate changes in medications.
Access to Clinical Trials
Recent
years have seen an explosion of asthma research triggered by a better
understanding of the causal mechanisms of the disease. This has led to
the development of several new agents that are currently being tested
in clinical trials. All patients at the Asthma Center have access to trials
of the most promising of these new agents. Physicians at the Center have
been awarded grants from the National Institute of Health and the American
Lung Association for the study of mechanisms and natural history of asthma
and allergy.
Innovative Approach
Patients treated at the John Edsall/John Wood Asthma Center benefit from the advantages of a major academic Medical Center with rapid access to the latest research breakthroughs for prevention and therapy of asthma. The Center is an inevitable outgrowth of the research activity of the Division in which basic cell biology of asthma and airway inflammation is under investigation. It is anticipated that this will lead to improvements and innovations in management of this disease.
Research
The
location of the Asthma Center within the Major Medical Center of a prestigious
University allows access to research advances in basic and clinical sciences.
The allergy and immunology laboratories at CPMC are nationally recognized
for their research in the area of the immune system in asthma, genetic
predisposition to asthma and allergy, and the effect of the environment
on asthma.
