Department of Respiratory, Sleep Medicine and Critical Care in Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals Delhi, India

Indraprastha Apollo Hospital has one of the most advance, fully equipped respiratory, sleep and critical care department since the inception of the hospital in 1996.

This Respiratory and Critical Care department offers most advance and state of art facilities in north India. Medical Intensive Care unit, Bronchoscopy unit, two pulmonary functional laboratory and Sleep Lab are being managed by team of highly qualified consultants. Medical intensive care unit is equipped with latest monitoring facilities and medical devices to provide immediate and world class treatment for critically ill patients at a single place.

We also have facility to do complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. We have highly advance ventilators (Siemens',GE, Puritan Bennet Ventilator,High frequency oscillatory ventilator & Noninvasive Bilevel ventilators), and excellent medical backup. High frequency oscillatory ventilator was used successfully on critically ill patients during recent epidemic of swine flu (H1N1 2009 flu).

Bedside ultrasound, dialysis, cardiac pacing, plasmapheresis is also available in case of need. Transport Ventilators are available to transfer patients of any severity to and fro from different hospital and with-in hospital.

Medical Intensive care unit is being managed by team of senior consultants and registrars round the clock. We also have well equipped bronchoscopy unit which has both adult and pediatric video bronchoscope for transbronchial lung biopsies and needle aspiration whenever needed. Basic monitoring and resuscitation facilities are available in Bronchoscopy suit itself.

Bronchoscopy procedures are routinely done in various intensive care units as well as and when need arises. Intervention bronchoscopy procedures such as stenting, electrocautery and dilatation are also routinely done. Apollo PFT Lab is known for the accuracy of its results including Spirometry and Diffusion studies of lungs.

Indraprastha Apollo Sleep Laboratory fills the vacuum for a world class Sleep disorder Lab in India. It is the largest and most sophisticated sleep lab in Asia, being equipped with additional sensors, hardware and latest software to carry out polysomnography studies.

The central lab at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital also acts as the command station for networking with different hospital in other cities through Tele-medicine. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea is a disease commonly found among the relatively overweight population with a history of snoring and daytime sleepiness.

This assumes greater importance when it occurs in patients with cardiovascular and endocrine diseases, the only way to diagnose and start appropriate treatment of sleep Apnoea is to do sleep studies and prevent any serious complications and even prevent unexplained death during sleep.

Patients of Chronic Insomnia, Snoring and Sleep behaviour disorders need to be subjected to Polysomnography for proper management. It is the first Centre in India to conduct full scale Infant Apnoea studies to prevent Sudden Infant Death syndrome (SIDS).

Various invasive procedures like Pleural aspiration, Pleural Biopsy and intercostal tube insertions are routinely being performed and so are thoracoscopies (VATS) whenever needed. CT guided lung biopsies, MRI Perfusion and ventilation scans are also done.

In case of Mediastinascopy, Mediastinotomy and open lung biopsy thoracic surgical backup is available. A facility for diagnosis of drug resistant Tuberculosis and treatment is existing. We have the largest bank of Sarcoidosis and Pulmonary fibrosis patients. Asthmatic and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients are also treated to with very good control.

FAQ's on Chronic Bronchitis And COPD

Q- What is Chronic Bronchitis And COPD ?
Ans- Chronic bronchitis and COPD is very common disorder in Indian population. We see smokers, non-smokers and females, with prolonged complaints of dyspnoea on exertion, walking into our
Outpatient department. A simple history and clinical examination can establish the diagnosis easily.

Q- What are the warning signs of a COPD ?
Ans- Shortness of breath: A person experiencing a COPD exacerbation may feel breathlessness or shortage of air. If this feeling worsens even when at rest or with little physical activity, you need to see a doctor.
Noisy breathing: With a COPD exacerbation, wheezing, whistling, gurgling, or rattling sounds may accompany breathing.
Increased anxiety: Oxygen is vital for everyone. If you feel like you are not getting enough oxygen and start to panic, the anxiety can aggravate your breathing ability as you tense up.
Chest breathing: During a COPD exacerbation, a person may breathe from the chest instead
of the abdomen. Breathing may become more irregular, and chest may move up and down
more quickly.
Cough: A COPD exacerbation can result in cough, which is more severe or frequent than usual. It could be a dry cough, or may bring up phlegm that is bloody, green or yellow.
Changes in skin or nail colour: There may be noticeable changes in colour, such as a bluish
tint around the lips. You may also notice blue or purple nails, or the skin may take on a sallow or grey tone.
Difficulty sleeping and no interest in eating: The increased symptoms with a COPD exacerbation may interfere with the ability to sleep or eat.
Lack of speech: If a person is having severe breathing difficulty, it might impair his ability
To speak and tell others what is happening. He might to able to communicate only through
hand gestures that he is in distress.
Early morning headaches: COPD causes a build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood due to low
levels of oxygen. This can result in morning headaches.
Swelling in the ankles or legs or abdominal pain: These common COPD symptoms are associated with heart complications or irregularities caused by damage to the lungs.

Q- Why is COPD done?
Ans- The goal of COPD treatment is to:
Relieve symptoms
Prevent complications and worsening of illness
Improve health and exercise tolerance

Q- What is included in COPD treatment?
Ans- Smoking cessation: Stopping smoking can help slow the decline in lung function.
Oxygen therapy: When the lungs cannot function well, inhaled oxygen helps get enough oxygen into the blood to meet the body's needs
Nutrition: COPD can make a person lose weight and subsequently lead to loss of muscle mass. An underweight person with COPD will have greater difficulty breathing
Bronchodilators: These medications relieve symptoms, and improve airway obstruction and
exercise capacity. They work by opening up the air passages and making it easier to breathe.
Corticosteroids: These drugs, such as prednisone or budesonide, are used to reduce inflammation and to treat symptoms, especially symptoms of an exacerbation.
Vaccines: COPD can flare up and worsen when you get sick, so it's important to get the flu
shot and the pneumonia shot.
Surgery: When medications prove ineffective, several surgeries, including lung transplantation, can reduce symptoms and hence improve a person's quality of life.
Antibiotics: Antibiotics treat bacterial infections and are used primarily during and exacerbation.