At the Pneumology department of the Centre hospitalier du Haut-Valais on the Visp site, patients suffering from pneumological diseases benefit from a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient diagnostic and therapeutic services. Patients are offered outpatient consultation, treatment and care for lung diseases such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smokers' lung), bronchial asthma, interstitial lung disease (ILD) and sarcoidosis. For specific issues such as pulmonary hypertension or cystic fibrosis, an in-depth analysis is provided on site.
Sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, are diagnosed by means of a precise test of sleep patterns using respiratory polygraphy. In addition to the main diagnoses, follow-up examinations and therapeutic optimisation are also carried out. Should permanent oxygen therapy or nocturnal hyperbaric therapy prove necessary, specific care is provided in collaboration with the Valais Lung League.
In addition to interventional examination (bronchoscopy) with bronchoalveolar lavage and, if necessary, lung biopsies, ultrasound-assisted examination of lymph nodes and lung nodules using EBUS bronchoscopy is also possible.
In the case of malignant lung disease (bronchial carcinoma), patients are offered individual management based on the latest guidelines. Every Tuesday, an interdisciplinary tumour board is held, bringing together pulmonology, oncology and thoracic surgery, during which a patient-centred solution is sought.
The pneumology outpatient consultation is also intended for patients who have had a COVID-19 infection and who present with persistent health problems more than 4 weeks after the infection. In this case, the aim is to clarify whether the COVID-19 disease is the cause of the problems, or whether the symptoms may have another cause.
