News Center

Friday, September 11, 2009

Interventional pulmonology services offered at St. Francis Lung Cancer Center

INDIANAPOLIS – The St. Francis Lung Cancer Center of Exellence is pleased to offer interventional pulmonology services and capabilities as part of its comprehensive care for lung patients.

Interventional pulmonology is a specialized field of medicine that deals with respiratory diseases such as lung cancer. This branch of medicine uses highly specialized equipment for procedures in which patients are under conscious sedation and local anesthesia.

Among the procedures and technology used to treat patients:

Endobronchial ultrasound for biopsies of lymph nodes and certain lung lesions
Rigid bronchoscopy to diagnose and treat benign and malignant endobronchial lesions while maintaining excellent control of airways Laser and cryotherapy to manage endobronchial lesions Specialized catheterization to help patients with certain malignant excess fluids surrounding the lung

The Lung Cancer Center also welcomes Dr. Ghazwan Acash, M.D. to the physician team. Board-certified in internal, pulmonary and critical care medicine, Acash recently completed an interventional pulmonology fellowship at Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts.

Acash earned his medical degree at Damascus University School of Medicine and completed residencies at Northwestern University (St. Joseph Hospital-Chicago) and the Asthma and Allergy Clinic, Elgin, Ill. He later served as deputy chief of medicine for the residency program at Al-Hada Armed Forces Hospital in Saudi Arabia.

He is a member of the American College of Chest Physicians and the American College of Physicians.

To learn more about the St. Francis Lung Cancer Center of Excellence go to
www.stfrancishospitals.org/Cancer/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=226.