Department of Respiratory Medicine @ Ospedale San Raffaele

The Unit of Respiratory Medicine is an outpatient-based consultant led unit which provides specialist support including noninvasive mechanical ventilation for a 1000+ bed University hospital.

It is equipped with a complete function laboratory and shares an endoscopy unit with the Division of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. George Cremona, lecturer and coordinator of the course of Respiratory Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine at the San Raffaele University heads the unit consisting of a part time clinical specialist, two laboratory technicians and 2 registered nurses.

The Unit runs daily outpatient clinics for general respiratory diseases and disease specific clinics for severe asthma, chronic respiratory failure and long term mechanical ventilation as well as sleep medicine.

Dedicated clinics are also run for pulmonary hpertension (IPAH) and interstitial lung disease including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) for which it is a recognized regional referral centre providing  all diagnostic tests including right-heart catheterization and lung biopsy (in collaboration with the Thoracic Surgical unit). It forms part of a multidisciplinary specialist team for diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. The unit performs around 12000 diagnostic tests and specialty consultations per year. 

Bronchial Asthma 

• The Unit forms part of a multidisciplinary team along with the Units of Allergology and ENT for the diagnosis and treatment of bronchial asthma with a special interest in severe asthma and treatment and treatment with monoclonal antibodies
• We offer state of the art diagnostic procedures such as spirometry pletismography, exhaled nitric oxide, bronchoscopy and lavage, forced oscillation technque and impulse oscillomtery

Interstitial lung disease

• We provide a complete multidisciplinary diagnostic workup including imaging, endoscopic and surgical cytology and histhology as well complete lung function and exercise tests enabling accurate diagnosis personalised treatment for a wide range of interstitial lung diseases including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, connestive disease and drug associated interstitial lung disease.

Pulmonary hypertension

• A full range of diagnostic and multidisciplinary extertise is employed in the diagnosis, staging and treatment of this condition wihich includes echocardiogrpahy, lung function and cardiopulmonary exercise tests, right heart catheterization and acute vasodilator trials 

• Impulse oscillometry, exhaled nitric oxide