The newsletter of the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon interviewed Professor António Bugalho de Almeida, Director of the Pulmonology University Clinic and Clinical Director of the Pulmonology Service of Santa Maria Hospital. He told us about the Clinic, the Service he has directed since 1999, which he is now leaving due to retirement. Newsletter: Professor, please tell us about the origin of the Pulmonology Clinic, its foundation, the founders, and the most marking events of this unit. Prof. Bugalho de Almeida: I begin by telling you why I chose the 23rd July for my last lesson. This was because the […]

   Since the mid-1960s that the Pulmonary Diseases Clinic of FML/HSM, at the time directed by Professor Thomé Villar, started to pay special attention to problems related to lung cancer and other pulmonology malignancies, whose patients were beginning to account for a significant percentage of consultations and hospitalizations and were usually diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease, when diagnosis, staging and treatment methods were still very limited. The Pulmonology Courses for Postgraduate Students began in 1967 and, among other relevant topics, started to address themes in the area of Lung Oncology, taught by both national and international lecturers. […]

The Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (UCIR) of the Pulmonology Department (Director: Professor A. Bugalho de Almeida), of Santa Maria Hospital completed 26 years on 26 April last. The Unit consists of a High Risk sector with 3 rooms and 8 beds, and of a non-invasive ventilation unit with 2 rooms and 6 beds. In terms of human resources, the unit’s medical team is formed by 6 people who, in addition to carrying out their duties in the unit, are also responsible for other functions in the department. Other doctors from the department also work at the unit’s emergency service. It […]

Bronchology has been practiced since the foundation of the service in the 1950s, at first with rigid bronchoscopy started by Thomé Villar, subsequently continued by Freitas e Costa and his colleagues. The advancement of technology in this area has been huge. The emergence of the bronchoscope in the late 1960s revolutionized diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in Pulmonology. The 1990s saw the appearance of interventional bronchoscopy. The REU was structured in January 2003 when Professor Bugalho de Almeida headed the service. It has two intervention rooms with negative pressure ventilation system – one for Bronchology and the other used for Pleural […]

The Respiratory Physiology Laboratory of the Pulmonology Department has existed since the outset of Santa Maria Hospital. The Sleep Studies Laboratory was set up during the leadership of Professor Manuel Freitas e Costa (1997), initially with one polysomnograph, and, later, two. In 2008, under the direction of Professor Bugalho de Almeida, the Respiratory Physiopathology Unit was completely renovated, and two distinct areas were created: one for the study of the respiratory function, and the other for the study of sleep-related breathing disorders. The Respiratory Physiopathology Laboratory has two plethysmographs that enable the performance of several techniques to assess the respiratory […]

The Pulmonology Ward of the Pulmonology Unit I of the Northern Lisbon Hospital Centre (CHLN) was set up with the creation of the Unit in 1954, and underwent several changes over the years. In the beginning it had 90 beds, and subsequently this number was reduced to 72 so that part of the area could be assigned to the nurses’ (nuns) accommodation, as they started living in the unit. These 72 beds occupied the entire 9th floor. At the both ends of the ward were 18 beds for male patients and 18 beds for female patients. The central area had […]

The following medical consultations are offered as part of the outpatient/ambulatory clinic of the Pulmonology Unit (directed by Professor A. Bugalho de Almeida) of Santa Maria Hospital: General Pulmonology Allergology Smokers’ support Interstitial disease/Pulmonary fibrosis Granulomatosis/Sarcoidosis Psychology The outpatient unit comprises a waiting room, a reception counter, a nursing room, and several medical offices. In terms of human resources, besides doctors and one psychologist, four nurses, three administrative staff and two assistants work in the unit. The main activity focuses on the provision of care and, to a lesser extent, on teaching and research. As an example of the care […]

Santa Maria Hospital has the largest specialist centre in the country for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The centre meets the requirements established by the European Cystic Fibrosis Society to be considered a reference hub for the treatment of this disease: – Over 50 patients being followed-up on a permanent basis. – Multidisciplinary team comprising paediatricians, pulmonologists, specialist nurses, kinesiotherapists, dieticians, psychologists, and social workers. – Infrastructures complying with infection control policies. – Programmes for the transition of the Paediatrics Unit to the Adult Centre. – Educational programmes for patients and their families. – Integration in a University Hospital conducting […]