Lung testing / spirometry / pulmonary function testing

Lung function testing is a way of checking how well your lungs work by checking how much air you can get into and out of your lungs , and how quickly you can do it.
​
It is especially helpful for diagnosing and monitoring diseases such as  asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema.  It can also help in diagnosing some types of heart conditions.

---

Basics of Lung Testing.  
Click on the picture here to see a brief video explaining some of the basics of lung function testing ! 

Demonstration of  lung testing 
- click on VIDEO ONE  to see a video explaining the basics of the procedure.  You should watch this video several times before coming for lung testing.
​
And then watch  VIDEO TWO    for some of the background about what pulmonary function testing actually measures.   

---

What does Pulmonary Function Testing actually measure ?

It measures the functional size ( or capacity )  of  your lungs, and how quickly you can get the air in and out of your airways (flow rates ) .
If your airways are all blocked up and tight from asthma or inhaled irritants, then the air can not get into and out of your lungs as fast. 
These means your flow rates goes down.  And you would suck at blowing out birthday candles. 
In addition, if you can't fully expand or empty your lungs, the test picks it up and higher or lower total lung volumes of air being present.
It is a good addition to other lung investigations such as chest X rays, because chest X rays can tell only what your lungs look like, whereas the pulmonary function tests can determine how well they are working.