Pulmonary Patient Education Library — Austin Pulmonary Consultants

Patient Education

Pulmonary Patient Education Library

We are here to support your health journey every step of the way. Explore our patient education library to find reliable, easy-to-understand information about your pulmonary condition. Selecting a topic below will give you a deeper look into your respiratory wellness.

Popular:

Showing all 10 topics — expand any topic to see its resources.

Browse by condition

Ten topics, in alphabetical order

Tap any topic to jump straight to its resources — key points, vetted articles, printable handouts and videos, all reviewed by our pulmonologists.

Asthma

Understanding triggers, controller vs. rescue inhalers, action plans and how to keep asthma from…

6 resources Open

Bronchoscopy & Robotic Bronchoscopy

What happens during a bronchoscopy, how robotic navigation reaches small peripheral nodules, and…

5 resources Open

Chronic Cough & Shortness of Breath

Common pulmonary symptoms explained — when a lingering cough or breathlessness deserves a specia…

5 resources Open

COPD (Emphysema & Chronic Bronchitis)

Living well with COPD — inhaled therapy, flare-up prevention, pulmonary rehabilitation and stayi…

6 resources Open

Lung Nodules & Lung Cancer Screening

What a nodule on your scan actually means, who qualifies for annual low-dose CT screening, and h…

6 resources Open

Oxygen Therapy

Home oxygen explained — concentrators vs. portable tanks, travel, safety at home, and using oxyg…

5 resources Open

Pulmonary Fibrosis & Interstitial Lung Disease

ILD and IPF explained — how scarring affects breathing, antifibrotic therapy, oxygen, rehab and …

6 resources Open

Pulmonary Function Testing

Spirometry, lung volumes, diffusion capacity and the 6-minute walk — how to prepare and how to r…

5 resources Open

Sleep Apnea

Snoring, daytime sleepiness and pauses in breathing — testing options, CPAP success tips and the…

6 resources Open

Smoking Cessation

Quitting is the single most effective thing you can do for your lungs — medications, coaching, a…

6 resources Open

The library

Your pulmonary education library

Each topic opens to reveal the essentials our physicians want every patient to know, followed by hand-picked links to the most reliable sources available.

What you should know

Asthma is reversible airway narrowing — with the right controller plan, most people can be fully symptom-free.
A controller inhaler is taken every day; a rescue inhaler is for sudden symptoms. Needing rescue more than twice a week means the plan needs adjusting.
Technique matters more than dose — poor inhaler technique is the single most common reason asthma stays uncontrolled.
Everyone with asthma should have a written Asthma Action Plan with green / yellow / red zones.
Common triggers: allergens, respiratory infections, cold air, exercise, smoke, reflux and certain medications.

When to seek care urgently

Call 911 or go to the emergency room for severe breathlessness, trouble speaking in full sentences, blue lips or fingernails, or a rescue inhaler that is no longer helping.

What you should know

A bronchoscope is a thin, flexible camera passed through the nose or mouth into the airways — usually under sedation.
It is used to see the airways, sample tissue or fluid, and sometimes to treat (remove mucus plugs, stop bleeding, place stents).
Robotic bronchoscopy uses a CT-built 3D map and a steerable catheter to reach small nodules in the outer lung that older scopes could not safely biopsy.
Typical preparation: nothing to eat or drink after midnight, and a plan for someone to drive you home.
Most patients go home the same day; a mild sore throat or small amount of blood-streaked mucus for a day or two is expected.

When to seek care urgently

After a bronchoscopy, seek care right away for fever, coughing up more than a few teaspoons of blood, worsening chest pain or new shortness of breath.

What you should know

A cough lasting more than 8 weeks in an adult is considered chronic and should be evaluated.
The three most common causes of chronic cough are upper-airway (post-nasal) drip, asthma or cough-variant asthma, and acid reflux — often in combination.
ACE-inhibitor blood pressure medications cause a dry cough in up to 1 in 5 people who take them.
Breathlessness (dyspnea) that is new, progressive, or occurs at rest is never normal aging and warrants testing.
A focused workup usually includes chest imaging, pulmonary function testing and sometimes cardiac evaluation, since heart and lung causes overlap.

When to seek care urgently

Get urgent care for coughing up blood, chest pain, fainting, unintentional weight loss, high fever, or shortness of breath that comes on suddenly.

What you should know

COPD is long-term airflow obstruction, most often from tobacco smoke — but roughly 1 in 4 people with COPD never smoked.
Diagnosis requires spirometry. COPD cannot be confirmed on symptoms or a chest X-ray alone.
Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the most effective treatments available: it improves breathlessness, exercise capacity and quality of life.
Preventing exacerbations matters more than anything else — each severe flare-up can permanently reduce lung function.
Stay current on influenza, COVID-19, pneumococcal and RSV vaccination, and have a written flare-up action plan at home.

When to seek care urgently

Seek urgent care for a sudden increase in breathlessness, a change in mucus color or volume, confusion or drowsiness, or ankle swelling with worsening breathing.

What you should know

Lung nodules are common and the large majority are not cancer — most are old infections or scar tissue.
Size, shape, growth over time and your risk factors determine whether a nodule needs watching, imaging or biopsy.
Annual low-dose CT screening is recommended for adults 50–80 who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years.
Screening finds lung cancer earlier, when it is far more treatable — it reduces lung cancer deaths by roughly 20%.
A stable nodule followed over 2 years is usually considered benign; never skip a recommended follow-up scan.

When to seek care urgently

Tell us promptly about coughing up blood, unexplained weight loss, a new hoarse voice, or bone pain — these change how quickly a nodule is worked up.

What you should know

Supplemental oxygen is prescribed when blood oxygen stays low — it is a medication with a dose, not a comfort measure.
Used as prescribed, long-term oxygen therapy improves survival and quality of life in people with chronic low oxygen levels.
Options include stationary concentrators for home, portable concentrators for outings, and compressed or liquid oxygen tanks.
Oxygen itself is not flammable, but it makes everything around it burn faster — keep it at least 5 feet from flames, stoves and cigarettes.
Air travel with oxygen is possible but requires advance airline approval and an FAA-approved portable concentrator.

When to seek care urgently

Never change your oxygen flow rate on your own. Call us if you feel more breathless at your usual setting, or develop headaches, confusion or unusual sleepiness.

What you should know

Interstitial lung disease is an umbrella term for 200+ conditions that inflame or scar the tissue between the air sacs.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common type — diagnosis usually needs a high-resolution CT scan reviewed by a multidisciplinary team.
Two antifibrotic medications can slow the decline in lung function; they do not reverse scarring, so starting early matters.
Exposures matter: birds, mold, hot tubs, certain jobs and some medications can cause or worsen ILD, and removing the exposure can change the course.
Pulmonary rehabilitation, supplemental oxygen, vaccination and early transplant referral are all part of standard ILD care.

When to seek care urgently

Contact us quickly for a sudden worsening of breathlessness or cough over days to weeks — an acute exacerbation of fibrosis needs immediate evaluation.

What you should know

Pulmonary function tests measure how much air you can move, how fast you can move it, and how well oxygen crosses into your blood.
Spirometry measures FEV1 and FVC; their ratio distinguishes obstructive disease (asthma, COPD) from restrictive disease (fibrosis).
DLCO (diffusion capacity) shows how efficiently gas transfers into the bloodstream — often the earliest abnormality in ILD.
Preparation: avoid your short-acting inhaler for about 4–6 hours if instructed, skip heavy meals, avoid smoking that day, and wear loose clothing.
The test is effort-dependent — the technologist will coach you loudly and ask for repeat attempts to get reliable, reproducible numbers.

When to seek care urgently

Tell the technologist before testing if you have had a recent heart attack, stroke, eye or abdominal surgery, collapsed lung, or are coughing up blood.

What you should know

Obstructive sleep apnea is repeated collapse of the upper airway during sleep, causing oxygen dips and fragmented rest.
Untreated OSA raises the risk of high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, diabetes and motor-vehicle crashes.
Diagnosis is by home sleep apnea testing or an in-lab polysomnogram; severity is graded by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).
CPAP is the most effective treatment — comfort problems are almost always solvable with mask refitting, humidification or pressure adjustment. Don't give up in week one.
Alternatives include oral appliances, positional therapy, weight management, nasal surgery and hypoglossal nerve stimulation.

When to seek care urgently

Do not drive if you are falling asleep at the wheel. Tell us right away about witnessed breathing pauses with chest pain, morning confusion, or irregular heartbeat.

What you should know

Quitting at any age improves lung function, lowers cancer risk and adds years of life — it is never too late.
Combining medication with counseling roughly doubles or triples your chance of quitting for good compared with willpower alone.
First-line options include nicotine replacement (patch plus a fast-acting form), varenicline and bupropion — we can prescribe and monitor these.
Most people need several attempts. A relapse is data about your triggers, not a personal failure.
Free help: call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for the Texas Quitline, or text QUIT to 47848.

When to seek care urgently

Talk to us before starting quit medications if you have a seizure disorder, an eating disorder, uncontrolled psychiatric symptoms, or are pregnant.

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Video library

Watch, then breathe easier

Short, practical videos on the techniques that make the biggest difference — inhaler use, breathing exercises, CPAP comfort and what to expect from your procedures.

From our physicians

About this library

A cough that lasts more than eight weeks in an adult is considered chronic and deserves evaluation. You should also be seen sooner — regardless of duration — if you are coughing up blood, losing weight without trying, running fevers, or becoming increasingly short of breath. Start with the Chronic Cough & Shortness of Breath section above.

Every resource here comes from a government health agency, a national medical society, or a disease foundation with a published editorial policy — the American Lung Association, the NIH and NHLBI, the CDC, the American Thoracic Society, the National Cancer Institute, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and similar bodies. Our physicians review each link before it is added, and we re-check the library periodically. We do not accept sponsored placements.

No. It is designed to help you arrive at your appointment better informed and with better questions. Education cannot account for your imaging, your test results or your medication list — that interpretation is what your pulmonologist is for.

Yes. Use the Español filter in the toolbar to show only resources that are available in Spanish. Many of our sources — the CDC, MedlinePlus, Smokefree.gov and the National Cancer Institute among them — publish complete Spanish-language versions.

Yes. Tap the bookmark icon on any resource to save it to this device, then use the Saved filter to pull up your list before your visit. Resources labeled “Handout / PDF” are formatted for printing, and the page itself is print-friendly.

We review the library on a rolling basis and update it whenever a major guideline changes — for example, revisions to lung cancer screening eligibility or to COPD treatment standards. If you find a link that has moved or expired, please let our office know.

Educational information — not medical advice

This library is provided for general education. It does not replace a consultation, diagnosis or treatment plan from a licensed clinician, and it cannot account for your individual history, imaging or medications. External links are offered for your convenience; Austin Pulmonary Consultants does not control and is not responsible for content on third-party websites. If you are having a medical emergency, call 911.

Pulmonary Patient Education Library

Ten topics, in alphabetical order

Asthma

Bronchoscopy & Robotic Bronchoscopy

Chronic Cough & Shortness of Breath

COPD (Emphysema & Chronic Bronchitis)

Lung Nodules & Lung Cancer Screening

Oxygen Therapy

Pulmonary Fibrosis & Interstitial Lung Disease

Pulmonary Function Testing

Sleep Apnea

Smoking Cessation

Your pulmonary education library

Asthma

Recommended reading & resources

Bronchoscopy & Robotic Bronchoscopy

Recommended reading & resources

Chronic Cough & Shortness of Breath

Recommended reading & resources

COPD (Emphysema & Chronic Bronchitis)

Recommended reading & resources

Lung Nodules & Lung Cancer Screening

Recommended reading & resources

Oxygen Therapy

Recommended reading & resources

Pulmonary Fibrosis & Interstitial Lung Disease

Recommended reading & resources

Pulmonary Function Testing

Recommended reading & resources

Sleep Apnea

Recommended reading & resources

Smoking Cessation

Recommended reading & resources

No matching resources

Watch, then breathe easier

How to Use a Metered-Dose Inhaler

Building Your Asthma Action Plan

What Happens During a Bronchoscopy

Robotic Bronchoscopy for Small Nodules

Pursed-Lip & Diaphragmatic Breathing

Recognizing a COPD Flare-Up Early

Your Low-Dose CT Scan, Explained

Living Well With Pulmonary Fibrosis

Getting the Most From Your Spirometry

Setting Up Home Oxygen Safely

CPAP Mask Fitting & Comfort Tips

Your First 30 Days Without Tobacco

Featured articles & research notes

“They found a spot on my lung” — what happens next

Why week one on CPAP is the hardest — and how to get past it

Robotic bronchoscopy: reaching nodules we once could only watch

About this library

Educational information — not medical advice

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