Doctor of Medicine (MD) Respiratory Medicine

Doctor of Medicine (MD) Respiratory Medicine Course Details

MD in Respiratory Medicine is a 3-year postgraduate medical course that deals with the study, diagnosis, assessment, treatment, and prevention of diseases associated with the respiratory system. The speciality also entails a thorough understanding of pulmonary physiology, pulmonary diseases (including sleep-disordered breathing), and the management of critical respiratory in the ICU and the diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases within the chest. This has become one of the most important branches in India and worldwide due to increased prevalence of respiratory diseases like- asthma, COPD, tuberculosis, pneumonia, interstitial lung disease, lung cancer & post-COVID respiratory problems.

In MD Respiratory Medicine, you will receive comprehensive training in the diagnosis and management of airway disorders, mechanical ventilation support of critically ill adults, advanced imaging techniques for diseases of the chest, flexible bronchoscopy and care for adult patients with complex respiratory disease. Trainees receive exposure in pulmonology wards, ICUs, bronchoscopy suites, sleep labs, TB centres and emergency departments. The program is designed to train practicing professionals to diagnose a variety of complex respiratory problems, manage chronic and acute lung diseases and provide continuing care for patients with respiratory diseases.

The significance of this branch has expanded in big metro cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune due to rising pollution level, lifestyle changes, rising smoking habits, occupational lung disorders, and infection diseases like COVID-19 & Tuberculosis etc. Respiratory diseases have become rampant in Bangalore city, and the need for trained pulmonologists are of utmost importance from multispeciality teaching hospitals to critical care units.

The course content focuses on key areas such as respiratory pharmacology, non-invasive ventilation, obstructive and restrictive lung diseases, thoracic oncology, sleep disorders, occupational lung disease and infections such as tuberculosis. Students are also taught how to read chest x-rays, CT scans, ABGs, and other diagnostic tools used for the respiratory system. The course develops skills to perform bronchoscopy, thoracoscopy, nebulization therapy, ventilator management and other high-end procedures.

MD Respiratory Medicine graduates function in close synergy with intensivists, general physicians, thoracic surgeons, cardiologists and infectiologists. They are also a staple in critical care (especially with respect to the treatment of acute respiratory failure, ARDS, asthma exacerbations, allergic bronchitis and chronic obstructive lung disease).

The number of patients with pulmonary diseases have been on the rise in recent years due to rapid urbanization and industrial development. The need for chest physicians in India is very high, especially in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. Emergence of respiratory emergencies, critical care (with high-end ventilator supported ICUs), pulmonary rehabilitation centres, and sleep medicine clinics has added further dimensions to the vision statement for MD Respiratory Medicine.

Course Highlights