COPD

At Vista Physician Group, 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 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 can 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.