What are pulmonary function tests?
Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) measure how well your lungs take in and exhale air and how efficiently they transfer oxygen into the blood. PFT testing comes in a variety of forms.
Why is PFT testing done?
Pulmonary function tests help:
How do I prepare for these tests?
Eat a light meal and do not smoke for four to six hours before your test. If you have asthma, ask your health care provider if you need to stop using asthma medicine before the test.
How are tests carried out?
Spirometry—You breathe into a mouthpiece that is connected to an instrument called a spirometer. The spirometer measures the volume of air that you can force out of your lungs in one second after having inhaled as much as you can. You will be asked to hold the tube of a spirometer in your mouth, inhale as much air as possible, then blow out as hard as you can into the spirometer for one second. The amount of air you can force out is called your forced expiratory volume, or FEV1.
Lung volume—You breathe nitrogen or helium gas through a tube for a certain amount of time. Then the concentration of the gas in a chamber attached to the tube is measured.
Diffusion capacity—You breathe carbon monoxide for a very short time (often one breath). The concentration of carbon monoxide in the air you exhale is then measured. The difference in the amounts of carbon monoxide inhaled and exhaled shows how quickly gas can travel from your lungs into the blood.
PFTs are painless, and you will have time to rest between the different breathing measurements. The measurements may be repeated two or more times.
Pulse Oximetry Test
A pulse oximeter is a medical device that indirectly measures the oxygen saturation of a patient’s blood (as opposed to measuring oxygen saturation directly through a blood sample) and changes in blood volume in the skin, producing a photoplethysmograph. It is often attached to a medical monitor so staff can see a patient’s oxygenation at all times. Most monitors also display the heart rate.
A blood-oxygen monitor displays the percentage of arterial hemoglobin in the oxyhemoglobin configuration. Acceptable normal ranges are from 95 to 100 percent, although values down to 90 percent are common. For a patient breathing room air, at not far above sea level, an estimate of arterial pO2 can be made from the blood-oxygen monitor SpO2 reading.
Our lung specialists also perform exercise pulse oximetry for Medicare patients needing to re-qualify for their home oxygen and to evaluate a patient’s oxygen levels during exercise.
Coumadin Clinic
We offer an in-office Coumadin clinic for those patients using Coumadin, Warfarin, Lovenox, and Fragmin. We perform a finger stick PT/INR level check as well as a consultation with an RN.
What is the prothrombin time test?
The prothrombin time, or PT, test measures the time it takes your blood to form a clot. This test is also often called protime.
The results of the prothrombin time test may vary from lab to lab, so healthcare providers use a ratio called the INR (international normalized ratio) to be able to account for the differences.
Why is this test done?
The PT/INR is usually done to measure the effect of blood-thinning medicines (anticoagulants), such as Warfarin (Coumadin).
If you have a medical condition such as atrial fibrillation or deep vein thrombosis, or have had a heart valve replaced, your blood is more likely to form clots. Clots can block blood vessels and possibly cause a heart attack or stroke. Your healthcare provider may prescribe a blood thinner to help prevent clots. It’s very important to measure the effect of a blood thinner with this test. The medicine should keep the blood just thin enough to prevent clots. If the blood is too thin, you may bleed too easily.
The prothrombin time test may also be done if you have abnormal bleeding or clotting.
Injections
At the Gwinnett Pulmonary Group, we offer a number of injections and vaccines meant to keep patients healthy and well at all times. These injections include:
| XOLAIR INJECTION | OTHER VACCINES |
| Xolair injections offer relief for severe asthma and chronic hives.s | ○ Pneumonia
○ Flu ○ H1N1 |
Four primary tests are available for shortness of breath, although other ones exist.
Pulmonary function tests
Pulmonary function testing is a broad category that includes the standard spirometry test, lung volume test, diffusing capacity test, and exercise test. These tests identify how much air the lungs can hold, how forcefully the patient can blow air back out, and how easily oxygen enters the bloodstream from the lungs.
Chest imaging scans
To diagnose the primary cause for shortness of breath, chest X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs are available, giving a clear, thorough image of what’s happening inside and around the lungs.
Blood tests
Anemia and heart failure are common causes of shortness of breath, and blood tests can help diagnose patients with these issues. The blood tests are brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), cardiac troponins, and D-dimer.
Echocardiogram
Physicians order one of three types of echocardiograms to diagnose heart and lung-related conditions. The transthoracic, transesophageal, and exercise stress echocardiograms are available depending on the patient’s symptoms.
Pulmonary function testing is a common way of assessing how effectively your lungs are working. It can involve everything from measuring the amount of air you breathe and exhale to checking if oxygen enters your bloodstream properly. Through these tests, healthcare professionals can identify which areas need improvement. These tests are non-invasive, painless, and only take minutes, some even seconds, to complete.
Spirometry is one test where patients breathe into an instrument with a mouthpiece, which measures the volume of air they can forcibly blow out of their lungs after inhaling as much as possible. This test in action only takes one second.
Patients can find out how much air their lungs can take in with a lung volume test. They will breathe nitrogen or helium through a tube, and the concentration of that gas is carefully measured by attaching it to a chamber. A lung volume test takes a few seconds to a few minutes.
Patients inhale a single breath of carbon monoxide to measure their diffusion capacity. Then the difference between what’s in the air and what’s exhaled indicates how fast gas can go from their lungs to the bloodstream. This test also takes mere seconds to complete.
Overall, pulmonary functioning tests are an easy and effective way to see what’s going on with your lung capacity.
Suppose an individual is diagnosed with shortness of breath, such as asthma or COPD. In that case, they may need recurrent pulmonary function tests to continue to monitor their condition after obtaining a baseline. However, when a patient steps through the doctor’s office doors complaining of constant shortness of breath, the action plan is typically to order one or more pulmonary function tests.
These tests can help begin the identification process of the following disorders:
Anemia
Allergic reaction
Asthma
Blood clot in one or both lungs
COPD
Fluid in one or both lungs
Heart disease
Lung disease
Obesity
Panic attacks
Pneumonia
Smoking
A pulmonary function test becomes necessary when someone constantly has one or more of the following symptoms:
Chest tightness, pain, or pressure
Coughing, mainly if you produce mucus or phlegm
Difficulty breathing or taking a deep breath
Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
Wheezing
Since PFTs are not invasive, they are a quick and simple way to head toward a precise diagnosis.
Plugin powered by Kapsule Corp
