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Meet our Interventional Bronchology, Respiratory and Sleep Team

The Department of Thoracic Medicine at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital has eleven Physicians providing expert care for patients suffering from respiratory and sleep problems ranging from pulmonary hypertension to lung cancer; nocturnal obesity hypoventilation to idiopathic hypersomnolence. The department excels in specialised Interventional Bronchology including Endobronchial ultrasound, Medical Thoracoscopy, Endobronchial lung volume reduction (valve), steam ablation, Cryo-biopsy, Narrow band imaging of the lung as well as Bronchial Thermoplasty for the treatment of Asthma.

The Respiratory laboratory provides the full suite of standard respiratory tests as well as specialised Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET), Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO), Shunt tests and Impulse oscillometry for inpatients and outpatients. 

The sleep investigation unit undertakes in laboratory and portable (at home) polysomnography, Bilevel and CPAP treatment studies as well as multiple sleep latency and maintenance of wakefulness testing. A motor-neurone disease (MND) multi-disciplinary clinic is undertaken in the department as well as a comprehensive CPAP/Bilevel troubleshooting service. RBWH participates in the Queensland Health program for the provisioning of machines to eligible patients. 

Our Physicians also sub-specialise in specific areas of interest, (e.g. pulmonary hypertension and prostacylin infusion, Mycobacterium and Bronchiectasis, weight gain, obesity and sleep) enabling the department to provide a comprehensive service to our patients. 

RBWH's Physicians are affiliated with or have commitments to the University of Queensland, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science, the Australasian Sleep Association, the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, QIMR Berghofer Molecular biology of lung cancer, as well as various international associations including the Asia Pacific Society of Bronchology, World Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology. 

Our research collaborators include the Royal Melbourne, Royal Adelaide, Liverpool Hospital Sydney, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast University Hospitals, the Forensic and Scientific Services provided by Qld Health Coopers Plains Campus, Immune and Cancer Laboratory QIMR Berghofer, Westmead Hospital, Frankston Hospital, Macquarie University Hospital, Fiona Stanley hospital and the Head and Neck Cancer Department at RBWH. 

Some of our recent research highlights include:

  • Analysis of molecular aspects of bronchoscopic lung cancer samples that form the basis for our ongoing studies of the genetics of lung cancer diagnosed in this innovative way. We are the hub of the Debutant Study Network which incorporates 7 other sites nationwide.
  • Our work in image analysis in bronchoscopy seeks to use computerised assessments (better than visual interpretation) to discriminate between benign and malignant disease, as a supportive data tool for actual biopsy information.
  • Early lung cancer diagnosis- our world first study of breath testing for insitu lung cancer demonstrated the power of this test to find such small lesions. It has paved the way for ongoing research in lung nodule characterisation, including breath, blood and saliva analysis.
  • Application of combinations of diagnostic tests in lung disease concerns the order of testing and how early PET scanning benefits patients by allowing better choice of first biopsy type.
  • Early tissue diagnosis – Robotic Bronchoscopy – we performed the world’s first study biopsying 30 nodules with a mean diameter of 12mm. We will now offer this service clinically – Ion Bronchoscopy.

 

  • RBWH is embarking on exciting Australian firsts in 2022 with our TeleSleep initiative operating in conjunction with Rockhampton hospital and our long-awaited Robotic Bronchoscopy initiative scheduled for March.

Consultant Physicians

Dr David Fielding, MBBS, FRACP, MD Lond

Associate Professor, Staff Thoracic Physician
Director of Thoracic Medicine, RBWH
Interest / Specialty:  Interventional Pulmonology with a focus on Interventional Image Analysis Endobronchial Ultrasound, Narrow Band Imaging with emphasis on Lung and Head and Neck Cancer, Bronchial Thermoplasty; Breath Testing in Lung Cancer; Interventional Pulmonology Teaching and Accreditation; Pleural disease management including Tunnelled Catheters and Medical Thoracoscopy. Dr Fielding’s research focus is on the molecular biology of lung cancer and non-invasive lung nodule diagnosis using biomarkers.

 

 

MBBS (Hons), MD (Melb), MHM, GCAE, FRACP

Staff Thoracic Physician 

Interest / Specialty: Thoracic and Sleep Physician
Sub-specialty Interests: Interstitial Lung Disease, Pulmonary Hypertension, Endobronchial Ultrasound 

FRACP, MD, MSM

Staff Thoracic Physician 

Director of Interventional Bronchology 

Interest / Specialty: Thoracic and Sleep Physician, Interventional Pulmonology
Sub-specialty Interests: Pleural disease, Lung Cancer, COPD, Endobronchial Ultrasound, Endobronchial lung volume reduction, Bronchial Thermoplasty, Medical Thoracoscopy 

MBBS, FRACP

Staff Thoracic Physician 

Interest/Specialty: Thoracic and Sleep Physician, Interventional Pulmonology
Sub-Specialty Interests: Endobronchial Ultrasound, Thoracic Malignancy, COPD 

MBBS (Hon), PhD, MHAIS, MMedSci, FRACP, FCICM

Senior Staff Specialist Thoracic Medicine 

Interests: Thoracic Medicine, Sleep Medicine, Intensive Care Medicine 

Subspecialty Interests: Bronchoscopy, Endobronchial and Thoracic Ultrasound, Interstitial Lung Disease, Pulmonary Hypertension, Critical Care Rehabilitation, Complex Multisystem Disease Management particularly the pulmonary complications of bone marrow transplantation, Non-invasive ventilation, Complex breathing disorders of sleep and Invasive home ventilation. 

MBBS, BSc (Hons), FRACP

Staff Thoracic Physician 

Director Sleep Medicine 

Interests: Thoracic and Sleep Physician
Subspecialty Interests: COPD, respiratory failure, NIV, complex sleep disordered breathing, respiratory muscle disorder 

MBBS BMedSc GDipBiostats FRACP

Staff Thoracic Physician
Director of Sleep Medicine

Interests/specialty: Thoracic and Sleep Physician
Subspecialty interests: Obstructive sleep apnoea, motor neurone disease, narcolepsy, circadian rhythm disorder, parasomnia

FRACP

Staff Thoracic Physician 

Subspecialty Interest: Mycobacterial Disease, Bronchiectasis, Pulmonary infectious disease 

FRACP

Staff Thoracic Physician 

Subspecialty Interest: Bronchoscopy, Asthma, Sleep Medicine, Effects of Bariatric surgery on Sleep 

FRACP

Staff Thoracic Physician 

Subspecialty Interest: Difficult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, endobronchial ultrasound

FRACP

Staff Thoracic Physician 

Subspecialty Interest: TeleSleep

Contact us

Location: Level 3, Dr James Mayne Building
General enquiries: (07) 3646 7636
Confirmations and cancellations: (07) 3497 3588
Fax: (07) 3646 5651

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Need help outside hours?

For non-urgent medical issues call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) or visit your GP.

In an emergency call 000.

Refer a patient

To refer a patient to this service, view the Respiratory and Thoracic Medicine referral guideline.

For an existing referral call
1300 364 938.

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