Louis B. Irving is a pulmonologist based in Parkville, VIC, working from 300 Grattan Street. He looks after people with lung and breathing problems, from day-to-day asthma to more serious lung conditions that need careful follow-up.
In many cases, patients come in when symptoms keep coming back or don’t settle, like ongoing wheeze, shortness of breath, chest tightness, or a cough that won’t go away. Louis also treats breathing issues linked to infections and lung inflammation, including pneumonia and flu, as well as longer-lasting problems seen after COVID-19, including long haul COVID.
Lung cancer care is also part of the work. This can include non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), lung adenocarcinoma, and lung nodules. There are also times when fluid around the lung shows up as a pleural effusion, or when there are concerns with tumours in the chest area, such as a mediastinal tumour. At times, the team may need to help manage urgent issues too, like a pulmonary embolism.
Breathing conditions that affect the airways and lung tissue are common as well. This includes COPD, asthma, eosinophilic lung conditions, and interstitial lung disease. Some rarer diagnoses can come through too, like chronic eosinophilic pneumonia, hypereosinophilic syndrome, and coal worker’s pneumoconiosis. Depending on the situation, the goal is to make sense of what’s going on and map out a plan that fits the patient’s symptoms and test results.
Louis also works with endoscopy as part of lung care. Endoscopy can be useful when doctors need a closer look, or when samples are needed to help guide the next steps. He manages both sudden and longer-term breathing problems, such as acute interstitial pneumonia, along with complex cases that may need more time and careful monitoring.