Cardiopulmonary Center

As a comprehensive cancer center, MD Anderson can treat practically any condition that our patients face during their care. Patients dealing with diseases of the heart, vasculature (the blood vessels), airway and lungs can turn to MD Anderson’s Cardiopulmonary Center. With our multidisciplinary team of experts, we treat cardiac and pulmonary conditions that existed before the patient came to MD Anderson, as well as those brought on by cancer and its treatments.

Cardiology

The center’s cardiology services include an echocardiography lab that has earned comprehensive accreditation from the Intersociety Accreditation Commission’s echocardiography program. For patients with a pacemaker or defibrillator, we have a clinic dedicated to the evaluation of patients prior to and during treatment, and we perform routine device management.

In addition we have a cardiac catheterization lab that assesses cancer patients for coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure and other cardiac issues. The lab performs a number of procedures and diagnostic tests, including:

• Heart catheterizations
• Endomyocardial biopsies
• Pacemaker and defibrillator implants
• Peripheral arterial angiograms
• Pericardiocentesis (draining of the fluid from the sac that encloses the heart)

Pulmonology

The pulmonology team in the Cardiopulmonary Center treats a wide range of conditions related to the lungs and airway. Our services include:

• Caring for conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (or COPD) and pleural diseases
• Diagnosis and treatment of breathing problems related to different cancer therapies
• Evaluation of patients’ pulmonary function before major procedures, as well as therapies to improve this pulmonary function if needed
• Lung cancer staging and support for patients with lung cancer and endobronchial tumors

Our pulmonary services also include a Sleep Center for cancer patients with sleep disorders caused by their disease, treatment, hospitalization or emotional stress.