HEALTHY
HEART
HEALTH NEWS AND INFORMATION
June 2014
A service of Kadlec Health System—Tri-Cities
Breathing easier
OUR BODIES ARE
made up of
amazing, complex systems. In
medicine, there is an increasing
awareness that what happens with
the heart (cardiovascular system)
can, and does, impact the lungs
(pulmonary system). And vice versa.
While continuing
to strengthen its care
for the region’s heart
patients, Kadlec Clinic
also recognized this
interconnection and
the growing need for
pulmonology care.
“Frequently, the patients I care
for with lung issues also have
heart issues,” said Kadlec Clinic
pulmonologist Katherine Cayetano,
MD. “I work with Kadlec’s cardiac
services to coordinate care for
these patients. This coordination is
important, and something we see as
continuing to expand.”
Increasing pulmonary care
Patients with respiratory issues are
often cared for by that patient’s
primary care physician, said
Dr. Cayetano.
“The role of the pulmonologist
becomes very important when
respiratory issues become more
complex,” she said.
Kadlec Clinic Pulmonology
offers care to patients with acute
lung disorders as well as complex,
chronic lung diseases. These include
pneumonia, asthma, tuberculosis,
emphysema, and complicated chest
infections as well as patients with
pulmonary complications of AIDS,
injury, and respiratory procedures.
Throughout the course of
a patient’s care, Kadlec Clinic
pulmonologists and primary care
physicians work collaboratively to
improve outcomes.
Dr. Cayetano joined Kadlec
Clinic Pulmonology in 2013 and
immediately saw a need for
her specialty.
“This is a unique area,” she said.
“We have lots of patients who have
respiratory issues as a consequence
of their work. We sit in a valley that
environmentally can cause problems
for pulmonary disease and flare-ups.
And, unfortunately, we still have too
many smokers. There are many, many
patients who benefit from having
pulmonology care here.”
Katherine
Cayetano, MD
Kadlec Clinic
Pulmonology
1100 Goethals Drive,
Suite D, Richland
(509) 942-3095
—Continued on page 4
