About
Bio
I specialize in pulmonary hypertension, advance lung disease, and lung transplantation
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Pulmonology
Pulmonary Critical Care
Doctor Q&A
88 Answers
11 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 23-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
It is possible: If you have been diagnosed with ipf, you may feel that your breathing is tight and is difficult at times to take deep breath. This is part of the dis... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Unlikely: This is a rare event. Remember how many people get the bird flu and behaves as the "the flu". But the incidence of developing ARDS is much higher th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Good question: It is true that lung volume reduction surgery(lvrs) has not ben shown to increase survival, but increases exercise capacity and quality of life. One ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
PH Center: Your relative should be treated in a ph center. This field is changing very rapidly and there are new medications that your relative can be treated w... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old female asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Patience: The effects of smoking will not go away right away. Cough and phlegm may persist for months and even years. But, don't get disappointed as long term... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old male asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Depends: Different types of inhalers exist for the different stages of emphysema. It is necessary that you ask your lung doctor about what stage of emphysema ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Unlikely: In order to do a living related lung transplant one needs to have two different donors. Each donor will donate a lobe of the lung and this lobe will ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Depends: There are different types of surgeries that increase the chances of developing DVT and pe. Usually, the inactivity is what tends to predispose you to... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
They are different: A pneumonia is caused by an organism causing destruction of the lung tissue. Interstitial lung disease is inflammation of the lung and usually starts... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Be concern: A pulmonologist should be able to help you determine if you have emphysema or if the cysts in your lungs are related to another disease like histiocyt... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Infection vs fluid: Pneumonia is a term we use when a patient has an infection. This is treated with antibiotics or other medications to kill the organism. Pulmonary ed... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
No: If you have been diagnosed with emphysema, you need to be tested for the genetic form of emphysema: alpha1 antitrypsine.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Yes: After a lung transplant, the patient is going to be immunosuppressed. That means that the immune system is not going to able to react and defend itse... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
No: Someone may have had vasculitis predisposing you to have a pe, but not the other way around.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
The heart: Paige, this is really all semantics and doctor talk. Viruses can cause damage to your heart: cardiomyopathy. When the damage causes your heart to en... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
No: Spiriva is helpful for patients with history of copd. If you have pulmonary fibrosis and copd, there may be a role for spiriva, but not for only pulm... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Emergency Room: You should go to the emergency room and have them evaluate you if you have these feelings.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed Apr 14, 2021
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Depends: The national average survival at one year is about 84% and at 3 years about 71%. That does not mean that you cannot live longer. We have a patient a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old male asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Defect in the lung: Though most of the time when a lung collapses, it is caused by some type of trauma, there are some patients that have defects in the lung surface. Th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old male asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Yes: There is a very nice article published a few years ago where patients who were morbidly obese and had phtn underwent bariatric surgery and the phtn co... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
ILD: This is a progressive disease. He needs to be seen by a lung specialist who can help control the progression of the disease. In some cases, it respo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Usually no: The bird has to be infected with the virus. Usually they are sick.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Yes: And you better be seen by a doctor.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Good: Must of the pulmonary emboli are asymptomatic just because they are very small. But when patients have symptomatic pulmonary emboli and they are trea... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
No: Females are affected more commonly than men in a 2:1 ratio.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Unclear: We have not noticed any difference in race in our trials, but they were not powered to find race differences.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Yes: If you have pulmonary hypertension, you need to be treated by a specialist in this disease. There are many different therapies to treat this conditio... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
No: It is reported more and it is better defined than in the past.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Hmmmm: If you are overweight, you may need to loose weight. If your doctor tell you that there is a reason why you are developing phtn, then correcting it m... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years agoMerged
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
COPD and pertussis: Pain from pertussis is usually associated with pains from coughing. Usually muscle pains and rib pains. One could develop a life threatening conditi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 49-year-old male asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
posible side effect: It is possible that you are having a side effect to the beta blocker metoprolol. You will have to talk to your cardiologist to see if he recommends a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Tough to say: Nicholas, the survival of the lung/kidney transplant is going to be driven by the survival of the lung transplant. But, the overall survival is proba... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Big air pockets: When patients smoke, they can develop emphysema. Sometimes the emphysema is such that the patient makes large air pockets that can compress the "norm... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old male asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Either: A gp may be very good in controlling mild cases of emphysema, but if the symptoms are not in well control, then it may be beneficial to see a speciali... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Lung Stiffness: Fibrosis or "scaring" of the lungs causes the lungs to be very stiff. Thus, it becomes difficult for the patient to be able to take deep breaths. Ove... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Neutrophils: We use the term toxic granulation when we see some of your blood cells very active trying to fight "something". Usually the cells are fighting bacter... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Not much: Pulmonary edema is a type of pulmonary congestion. Congestion just means something is in your lungs. Pulmonary edema means that "water" is in your l... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years agoMerged
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Fibromyalgia pain: Must patients with fibromyalgia have pains that are difficult to explain. Usually, pains associated with heart attach become worse with exercise. Yo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old female asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Not necessary: There are many reasons why you can have tingling sensation in the arm, must of them are benign things. It is hard for me to tell you if it is a sign ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Very serious: He should be seen by a pulmonologist. Lung fibrosis can progress to the point of him needing a lung transplant. Identifying the cause is important a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Both are bad: Bird flu is mutating and will continue to mutate in the future. It is only a matter of time for it to mutate and hopefullly, we will have newer antiv... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Hard to tell: Given copd, your life expectancy is not as good as if you did not have copd. There is a scale to help physicians predict survival on patients with co... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Hypercapnea: There are multiple reasons why a person may have high co2 in a venous sample. The must common cause would be dehydration. But, once he is well hydrat... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Absolutely: E. Coli is notorious for causing infections, specially in the urinary tract. If untreated, the bacteria can go to the blood stream and cause septic s... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
It does not: Phtn is a consequence of the back up of blood into your lungs from the mitral stenosis. The blood vessels may vasoconstrict to protect themselves fro... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
No: The patients who develop phtn initially do not have heart failure. They have shortness of breath, fatigue, and even syncope. But heart failure devel... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Small number of them: There is a genetic form of ipf. If more than one relative in your family has ild, then it may be beneficial to have a geneticist talk to you and your... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
Some: We tell our patients to exercise but not to the point of feeling exhausted. If you are feeling that you are light headed, you should have stopped way... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
No: But staying healthy and doing exercise is important.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Fernando Torresanswered
Pulmonology 29 years experience
No: You need a right cardiac catheterization to completely rule it in or out. An echocardiogram should be the first step though.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
2
Recommendations
100
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Torres is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Torres is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! Out of all the answers ive gotten this is the ugliest pic ive seen. It helps to remind me to STOP smoking. I thank you so much. Every time
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very comforting! Having a very hard time accepting that so much pain can be harmless. Thank you for your help!
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! My hubby has e coli in his sputum. No antb. From dr x 10 days will he
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, NY
Graduated 1994MD
Residency
UT SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
Awards
Best Doctors Dallas
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Affiliations
UT Southwestern Medical Center
University Hospital-St. Paul
University Hospital-Zale-Lipshy
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