Ochsner LSU Health Sciences Shreveport is a tertiary care academic hospital located in Northwest Louisiana with a large catchment area in the Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas region. As a CCN Clinical Associate member, we are able to take care of a large number of patients suffering from a wide variety of complex pulmonary pathologies including interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and pulmonary fibrosis (PF). In addition to having specialty clinics and inpatient services in the Shreveport region, we are also able to extend our services into more
rural areas via satellite clinics and tele-ICUs at Ochsner Monroe and Natchitoches
regional medical center.
Our division includes nine pulmonary physicians, 11 fellows, and one registered nurse in addition to four critical care physicians, six critical care fellows, and five nurse practitioners who care for patients in the intensive care units. Our ILD clinic is located in Shreveport where we have a robust pulmonary function testing lab. It is right next to the hospital where we have a well-equipped bronchoscopy suite with the ability to perform advanced bronchoscopic procedures, including cryobiopsies using Cellvizio and Envisia testing, as well as a cath lab, where we are able to perform our own right heart catheterizations. Thus, we have a seamless collaboration with our interventional pulmonary and pulmonary hypertension colleagues, and we pride ourselves in being able to provide
comprehensive care for a wide variety of complex pulmonary conditions in patients hailing from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Oftentimes, we try to coordinate PFTs, 6 minute walk tests, and physician visits on the same day to make our clinic visits as efficient as possible. We are a clinical trial site for at least one IPF trial and continue to be assessed as a center for future trials. When necessary, we refer our patients to the lung transplant centers at Ochsner LSU New Orleans, Baylor Scott & White Dallas, or University of Texas Dallas, which are all within a 3-4 hour driving radius.
Our monthly multidisciplinary ILD meetings are well attended and help us navigate complex diagnostic decisions and therapeutic plans through discussion with our colleagues in radiology, pathology and rheumatology. We usually discuss four to five complex patients in the format of an educational MDD so as to further enhance the ILD education among our pulmonary fellows. Our goal as a Clinical Associate Member of the CCN is to continue to grow our ILD program, expand our outreach, improve our knowledge, and ensure the best quality, most comprehensive care to the complex patients in our region, all while training the next generation of pulmonary physicians.
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