Hello everyone! I hope that you all are having an amazing day and it’s my pleasure to welcome you all back to an exciting Medical Monday! Today, we get to discuss a crucial test of our cardiopulmonary health known as pulmonary function test or PFT.
What is A Pulmonary Function Test?
A PFT encompasses a series of tests performed by respiratory therapists that examine how well one’s lungs are exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide. These procedures are often non-invasive and are pain-free as they often involve breathing in and out of a machine, which collects data about how well your lungs are functioning. Can you believe it? These simple tests can provide a beautiful and informative picture of your respiratory health to diagnose diseases related to your lungs as well as patients’ risk for respiratory failure following a cardiac operation! Now, let’s take a closer look at the different kinds of PFTs available.
Types of PFTs
Spirometry: This test measures how much and how quickly one can inhale and exhale air to diagnose diseases like asthma and COPD. Spirometry involves breathing into a tube that is attached to a machine, which records airflow.
Lung Volume Testing/Plethysmography: This test measures how much air one’s lungs can hold and can diagnose restrictive lung diseases like pulmonary fibrosis. Lung volume testing often occurs in a chamber where you blow into a mouthpiece.
Diffusion Capacity Test: This test involves inhaling a small, safe amount of carbon monoxide to discern how much of it was absorbed by the lungs. As a result, physicians get a good picture of how efficiently oxygen diffuses from lungs into the bloodstream as well as helps them diagnose conditions like emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis.
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test (CPET): This test can assess the heart and lung functions under stress or exercise which is very important for determining exercise tolerance as well as for pre-surgical planning.
Final thoughts
Overall, there are many types of PFTs that help us test for different aspects of your lung health which is a big factor in determining what diseases a patient may be suffering from as well as if they are a good candidate for surgery. In cases of poor results from PFTs, doctors can recommend effective breathing exercises, medications, and pulmonary rehab to bring one’s lung health back on track! Thank you so much for joining me on today’s Medical Monday and I hope you have a beautiful, healthy, and active week ahead of you to take care of your heart and lung health!
Think Aorta,
Sathya Pallapothula
Excellent information as always.