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Lung doc to focus on cancer and hypertension

Health View
Valley View Hospital

Dr. Khilnani recently accepted an invitation to join Valley View Hospital full time. He will be focusing on two crucial areas of pulmonology: lung cancer and pulmonary hypertension. Lung cancer occurs when cells in the lungs divide without control or order. The majority of lung cancer cases are due to long-term exposure to tobacco smoke; however, about 10-15 percent of cases occur in people who have never smoked. Other causes of lung cancer include exposure to radon gas, asbestos, genetic factors, or forms of air pollution (including second-hand smoke).

Pulmonary hypertension is abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, which makes the right side of the heart work harder than normal. When the pressure in the artery gets too high, the arteries in the lungs can narrow causing a decrease in blood flow resulting in less oxygen in the blood. PH affects people of all ages, race and ethnic backgrounds. Although anyone can be diagnosed with PH, some common risk factors include obesity, gender, altitude, drugs and pollutants. Currently, there is no cure for pulmonary hypertension, but there are treatments available to lessen the symptoms and improve quality of life.

For the past two years, Dr. Khilnani has been traveling back and forth from Las Vegas to Glenwood Springs as a pulmonology specialist. “Medicine has been a calling for me and there is no greater victory, no greater achievement than to see a patient get better,” stated Dr. Khilnani in a recent interview. Born in Bombay, India, Dr. Khilnani trained at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York prior to spending 25 years in Las Vegas as a physician with Pulmonary Associates while raising a family. In Las Vegas, Dr. Khilnani also spent 10 years teaching the future medical personnel at the Touro University Nevada’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, which trains students to become doctors of osteopathy and master of science physicians assistants.



Finding a cure for lung cancer and PH is critical to the lives of those affected by these diseases. Although, research is an important next step, for Dr. Khilnani, “The patient is the absolute number one priority. To me that’s [the] calling, that’s [the] passion, in a heartbeat I will drop everything and go to the patient.” Patient-centered care is the priority, the driving force of how Dr. Khilnani approaches medicine. While most of his time is devoted to his patients, he is looking forward to getting into the outdoors, experiencing what Glenwood Springs and the valley have to offer.

For more information on lung cancer and pulmonary hypertension, call The Lung Center at 970-384-7707.


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