Pulmonary Disease | Pulmonary Disease Treatment Maryland

Health Education

PULMONARY DISEASE

Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Associates, P.A.
(410)997-5944

Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Associates, P.A. (PDCCA) was founded in October, 1992 by Dr. David O. Nyanjom. Originally operating under the name of David O. Nyanjom, M.D.,P.A. The practice started out of Church Home and Hospital in Baltimore, MD and provided internal medicine and pulmonary medicine services. Over the years the practice has experienced significant growth, and has had clinical operations out of Laurel Regional Hospital and Mercy Medical Center. Currently, the practice is located in Columbia, MD and practices totally operate out of HCGH. The medical staff consists of 5 full time physicians and over 10 part time physicians who staff the ICU, and 3 physician assistants, with a support staff of over 25. PDCCA is currently the sole provider of the critical care unit at Howard County General Hospital and we also provide pulmonary consultation services at this hospital. PDCCA is the largest single entity providing pulmonary disease consultation services in Howard County.

Our services include:

Adult pulmonary consultations and follow-up
Cardio-Pulmonary stress testing
Simple stress testing
Pulse Oximetry
Methacholine test
Pulmonary function test
Diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders

In May, 2009, PDCCA opened the state of the art Center for Sleep Disorders at 8600 Snowden River Parkway. PDCCA is also actively involved in clinical research with various pharmaceutical companies in the field of pulmonary disease.

Along with moving into our new office space on Charter Drive, we will also be installing a new practice management system and electronic health records (EHR). This will allow secure storage of our patient’s health records and enhance physician-patient interaction via email, allowing patients to know their test results expeditiously and improve physician to physician communication regarding mutual patients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is COPD?
A: COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which refers to a large group of lung diseases which can interfere with normal breathing. It is estimated that 11 percent of the US population has COPD. The three most common conditions of COPD are asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Q: What is sleep apnea?
A: Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is far more common than generally understood. Sleep apnea occurs in all age groups and both genders. It is more common in men, although it may be under-diagnosed in women and young African-Americans. It is estimated that as many as 18 million Americans have sleep apnea.

Early recognition and treatment of sleep apnea is important because it may be associated with:

irregular heartbeat
high blood pressure
heart attack
stroke

Sleep apnea is characterized by a number of involuntary breathing pauses or "apneic events" during a single night's sleep may be as many as 20 to 30 or more events per hour. These events are almost always accompanied by snoring between apnea episodes (although not everyone who snores has sleep apnea). Sleep apnea may also be characterized by choking sensations. The frequent interruptions of deep, restorative sleep often lead to early morning headaches and excessive daytime sleepiness.

During the apneic event, the person is unable to breathe in oxygen and to exhale carbon dioxide, resulting in low levels of oxygen and increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. The reduction in oxygen and increase in carbon dioxide alert the brain to resume breathing and cause an arousal. With each arousal, a signal is sent from the brain to the upper airway muscles to open the airway; breathing is resumed, often with a loud snort or gasp. Frequent arousals, although necessary for breathing to restart, prevent a person from getting enough restorative, deep sleep.

Q: What is Cardio-Pulmonary stress testing and how do I prepare for it?
A: A Cardiopulmonary Stress Test is an exercise test performed on a motorized treadmill or stationary bicycle. This test will measure gas exchange in addition to pulmonary and cardiac activity. Breathing is done through a special mouthpiece during the test to measure the amount of oxygen going in and the amount of carbon dioxide going out. This is referred to as "gas exchange." This test will determine if the exercise level achieved and maintained is normal for your age, sex and gender.

Why would my doctor order this test?

A cardiopulmonary stress test can be done for a variety of reasons. Some of these are:

Identify unexplained shortness of breath
Detect and evaluate heart failure
Evaluate lung function
Aid in developing an exercise program
Evaluate for certain surgeries

For more information on pulmonary disease, visit the American Lung Association.

At the Medical Pavilion of Howard County we offer service to Maryland residents in Howard County including but not limited Columbia, Elkridge, Ellicott City, Jessup, North Laurel, Savage, Guilford, Clarksville, Cooksville, Daniels, Dayton, Dorsey, Fulton, Glenelg, Glenwood, Granite, Hanover, Henryton Highland, Ilchester, Lisbon, Marriottsville, Scaggsville, Simpsonville, Sykesville, West Friendship, Woodbine, Woodstock, and surrounding counties.