Pulmonary Function Test

At Hope Pulmonary Associates, we provide accurate pulmonary function testing to thoroughly evaluate your lung health. This non-invasive test measures critical aspects such as lung capacity, airflow rates, and airway hyper-responsiveness, which are integral to diagnosing and managing various lung conditions effectively.

What is Spirometry?

Spirometry is a common type of pulmonary function test. Another name for a pulmonary function test is a lung function test. A spirometry test measures the flow of air through your lungs and estimates the amount of air in your lungs. It also tells us how strong your lungs are and how well you breathe.

Spirometry determines if your lungs are functioning at their expected levels. It also helps to diagnose lung and airway diseases, including bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis etc.  

Spirometry can also determine your lung capacity and measure changes over time that occur as a result of chronic lung diseases, Identify early changes in your lung function and, in some cases, help guide treatment. It also helps determine whether inhaled medications may help with respiratory symptoms or not. It also shows whether exposure to certain substances has altered your lung function. 

Spirometry can also help estimate your risk of respiratory complications before undergoing surgery.

In our office, we perform pulmonary function testing for following reasons:

Chest tightness, pain or pressure.

Coughing, especially coughing with mucus.

Difficulty taking a deep breath.

Shortness of breath (dyspnea).

Wheezing.

Determine pre-operative pulmonary risk

How do you prepare for a spirometry test?

Before your test, we request you to:

Stop taking your breathing medications for a short period.

Wear loose, comfortable clothing that doesn’t squeeze your chest.

Refrain from eating a large meal at least two hours before the test.

Avoid any heavy exercise at least 30 minutes before the test.

These precautions help ensure that your spirometry results are more accurate.

Is a spirometry test painful?

No, a spirometry test isn’t painful.

But you may feel dizzy, lightheaded or tired from breathing in and out so deeply. Blowing into the spirometer may also cause you to cough. These symptoms should go away shortly after you complete the test. Let our staff member know if you need a break during testing.

Spirometry can also increase your heart rate. Tell us if you’ve had a heart attack in the past or any other conditions that affect your heart.