Pulmonary Function Testing

Pulmonary Function Tests are available at the Northside Hospital Diagnostic Clinic for patients with asthma, emphysema and a variety of lung disorders.

While physical examinations tell your physician how your lungs sound and x-rays tell your physician how your lungs look, Pulmonary Function Tests tell your physician how your lungs perform.

PFTs are performed to:

• Diagnose lung diseases.
• Help determine the cause of breathing problems.
• Moniter response to treatment of a variety of lung disorders.
• Identify people at high risk for lung disease.
• Evaluate the ability of a patient with lung disease to tolerate surgery.
• Monitor the lung function of a person regularly exposed to substances that can damage the lungs.

Pulmonary Function Tests are easy to perform.  For most PFTs, you will wear a nose clip to make sure no air passes in or out of your nose during the test. You will breathe into a mouthpiece attached to a recording device. You may be asked to breathe rapidly or normally, or to exhale and inhale deeply and forcibly.

How to Prepare

The accuracy of the test depends on how  well you follow all the instructions. The test may take from 5-30 minutes.

• Let your doctor know if you have had recent chest pains or a heart attack.
• Let your doctor know if you are allergic to any medications.
• Let your doctor know if you are taking any medication for lung disease.
• Do not eat a heavy meal before your test.
• Do not smoke or exercise strenuously for 6 hours before the test. 
• Wear loose fitting clothes.

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