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Dr. William Stoudemire, MD is a pediatric pulmonologist in Chapel Hill, NC specializing in pediatric pulmonology and general practice. He graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in 2012 and has 13 years of experience. Dr. William Stoudemire, MD is affiliated with UNC Health and UNC Health Rex UNC Hospitals UNC Health Children's.
101 Manning Drive Ground Floor
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
2801 Blue Ridge Road First and Second Floor
Raleigh, NC 27607
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic lung disease where the tissue and airways of the lungs become extremely sensitive to certain substances. When these substances are breathed in, the lungs become inflamed. The muscles around the airways tighten and squeeze the lungs, and passages within the lungs swell and tighten. The airways themselves produce mucus, which further clogs the tightened, swollen airways. A person having an asthma attack finds it very difficult to breathe, and a severe attack can even be fatal.
Asthma affects people of all ages, but people with asthma are most often diagnosed as children. Symptoms can include wheezing, a tight feeling in the chest, shortness of breath, and coughing. Some people have mild symptoms all the time, and some people have no symptoms at all, but everyone with asthma is susceptible to occasional severe attacks or flare-ups of symptoms when they are exposed to triggers. Triggers vary widely but can include:
Treatment for most asthma patients involves three steps. Patients learn what their asthma triggers are and avoid them. They take a daily control medication, usually an inhaled corticosteroid, to reduce inflammation in the lungs. Also, they have rescue medication with them at all times to take in case of a severe attack. These quick-acting inhaled medications relax the muscles around the airways and allow the lungs to open up for air.
There is no cure for asthma, but with treatment it should not interfere with daily life and activities.
Lung Transplant
Patients who have very severe lung disease may need a lung transplant. The diseased lung is entirely removed and replaced with a healthy lung, usually donated by a person who died. Either one or both lungs can be transplanted.
Contrary to popular belief, lung transplant is rarely used to treat lung cancer. It is a more common treatment for patients with other advanced lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Lung transplant is a serious operation and is generally used as a last resort for patients who have only a short time to live without surgery.
During a transplant, an incision is made on the side of the chest (for a single lung) or in the middle (for both lungs). Patients may be hooked up to a heart-lung bypass machine, which will do the work of moving blood and oxygen through the body during the procedure. After the diseased lung is cut away from the main airway and blood vessels, the donor lung is stitched into place. Surgery may take as long as twelve hours, and a hospital stay of two to three weeks after surgery is not uncommon. For the first hours or day after surgery, patients use a ventilator, or a machine to help them breathe. Tubes will be inserted into the chest to help drain excess air and fluid. During recovery, physical therapy and breathing exercises are used to help the new lung work as well as possible.
Lung capacity is carefully monitored for several months after surgery. Patients who have had a transplant will also have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives. These drugs stop the body's immune system from attacking the new lung. The main risks after a transplant are infection and rejection (when the immune system attacks the 'foreign' lung). A healthy lifestyle, including maintaining a diet high in vegetables and lean protein, not smoking, and getting enough exercise, is important to keeping the lungs functioning as well as possible. With proper care, many patients can live ten or even twenty years after a lung transplant.
Dr. William Stoudemire, MD graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in 2012. He has a state license in North Carolina.
Medical School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine (2012)
Licensed In: North Carolina
Dr. William Stoudemire, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:
Dr. William Stoudemire, MD appears to accept the following insurance providers: Cigna, MedCost, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, WellCare, AmeriHealth Caritas, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), Humana, Contigo Health, Carolina Complete Health, Veterans Affairs and Liberty Advantage.
According to our sources, Dr. William Stoudemire, MD accepts the following insurance providers:
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Dr. William Stoudemire is a specialist in general practice and pediatric pulmonology. Dr. Stoudemire is in-network for several insurance carriers, including BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, UnitedHealthcare, and Blue California. He is conversant in Spanish. His practice in Chapel Hill, NC is open to new patients as reported by Yext.
