Respiratory Medicine

Currently, we are responsible for the highly specialized functions in pulmonology in the Region of Southern Denmark, and the focal point in the Region of Southern Denmark for diagnosing and treating lung cancer, severe asthma, tuberculosis and complex pleurapulmonary infections.

South Denmark Center for Interstitial Lung Diseases (SCILS) is part of the Department of Respiratory Medicine and serves as a tertiary referral center for rare and interstitial lung diseases, lung transplantation, pulmonary mycoses and other opportunistic infections. Diagnosis and treatment is handled in a close interdisciplinary cooperation with other departments, including several monthly MDDs, but also the highly specialised PUlmo-REuma clinic (PURE), which is managed by SCILS in collaboration with rheumatologists. Furthermore, SCILS acts as an European reference center for interstitial lung diseases by being member of the European Reference Network LUNG with monthly participation in international MDDs.

The department also runs Center for Lung Cancer (CFL), which follows international standards for invasive diagnostics and uses ENB, EBUS, rEBUS, EUS-b, medical thoracoscopy and advanced thoracic ultrasound.

The OUH Simulationcenter (SimC) is used for all types of medical training for young doctors and specialists (and development of specialized medical functions and YL).

The Department of Respiratory Medicine has close collaboration with the Department of Occupational Medicine regarding airway challenge tests using provocative chambers for diagnosing labor related allergies.

The Center for Exercise induced Dyspnea has close collaboration with the Department for Otolaryngology on e.g., performance of continuous laryngoscopy exercise test.

The Department of Respiratory Medicine is divided into:

• A Hospital Inpatient Clinic
• A Telemedicine Unit
• A Research Unit
• A large Outpatient Clinic divided into interdisciplinary specialized teams:
  • Asthma and allergies
  • Lung cancer
  • Interstitial lung disease
  • COPD - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Tuberculosis and infections

The Respiratory Medicine Research Unit conducts research within common as well as rare and orphan lung diseases:

• Asthma and allergy
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Lung cancer
• Interstitial lung diseases and autoimmune rheumatic diseases with associated interstial lung disease
• Pleural diseases
• Mycobacterial infections and tuberculosis
• Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis 

The focus is clinical research aiming to improve the health care service of patients with a respiratory condition in the Region of Southern Denmark.

For more information about the research, go to the website of Odense Respiratory Research Unit (ODIN).