Dr. Yoneda Describes the Clinical Care Pulmonologist

Ken Y. Yoneda, MD, associate professor of internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care, University of California Davis Cancer Center, explains that the critical care pulmonologist has taken a larger role in the patient recover process. This includes the post operative care of thoracic surgery patients that can have very marginal lung function.

Pulmonologists assist by getting patients off ventilators and out of the hospital as soon as possible by placing pleural catheters and small bore chest tubes into the pleural space for management of malignant pleural effusions.