Pulmonary Function Tests
Advanced testing to measure your lung health
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Pulmonary Function Testing
At Lahey Clinic, we use a wide variety of pulmonary function tests to diagnose and manage lung conditions.
Pulmonary function tests check how well you breathe. They are painless and noninvasive.
When Testing is Recommended
Your provider may order pulmonary function testing to figure out why you have chronic cough, shortness of breath, or wheeze. Pulmonary function testing is also used to diagnose and monitor many respiratory diseases, including asthma, COPD, and pulmonary fibrosis.
Testing Labs
At Lahey, our trained respiratory therapists supervise pulmonary function testing in two advanced labs — in Burlington and Peabody, Massachusetts. Our labs perform a range of pulmonary function testing that includes:
- Basic spirometry
- Lung volumes
- Diffusion Capacity
- Six-minute walk testing
- Bronchoprovocation testing (exercise and methacholine)
- Full exercise physiology testing (also called cardiopulmonary exercise testing)
All testing and results are managed by certified personnel.
More About Pulmonary Function Tests
There are many kinds of lung function tests. Each one provides slightly different information about how well your lungs are working.
Arterial Blod Gases
This test measures the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your bloodstream. Your doctor takes a blood sample from an artery, usually in the wrist.
Carbon Monoxide Diffusing Capacity
This test estimates how efficiently your lungs exchange gases with your blood. You take a breath of a known mixture of gases. The test measures what percent of gas is left when you exhale.
Methacholine Challenge
This test helps determine whether you have a reactive airway problem, like asthma. We serially measure your lung function after breathing in increasing amounts of an irritating substance.
Exercise Bronchoprovocation Test
This test helps determine whether you have exercise-induced asthma or exercise induced bronchoconstriction. We serially measure your lung function before and after exercise.
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test (CPET)
The CPET measures how your heart, lungs, and muscles perform during exercise. It can help identify why you are short of breath by determining whether the heart or lungs reach their limit with exercise.
Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second (FEV1)
This test measures the amount of air you can forcibly exhale in one second. The test represents the rate of air movement out of your lungs. If you are healthy, your FEV1 declines a tiny amount each year. If you have COPD your FEV1 drops drastically in the same amount of time. An expected annual fall in FEV1 is the most sensitive test for COPD. FEV1 is also a good predictor of disability and early death.
Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)
This test measures the maximum volume of air that you can forcibly exhale after inhaling as deeply as possible.
Residual Volume (RV)
Residual volume is the amount of air that stays in the lungs after a you breathe out as much air as you can. If you have COPD, your RV is usually much higher than normal. Air becomes trapped in the damaged lung. It cannot be exhaled normally.
Oximetry
You wear a sensor on your finger. The sensor gathers quick, basic information about the amount of oxygen in your blood. To get more detailed measurements, your doctor may order an arterial blood gas test.
Sputum Test
Your doctor collects a sample of coughed-up mucus (sputum). Lab specialists test the sputum for various infections.
Total Lung Capacity (TLC)
This is the total amount of air the lungs are capable of holding and is the combination of FVC and RV.
Your provider will let you know what to expect based on the tests you need. You may need blood or imaging tests, or a test to check your breathing.
Spirometry is commonly used to check your breathing. You breathe into a machine called a spirometer. The spirometer measures your lung volume. The machine tracks how well you move air in and out of your lungs during a certain period of time.
After you take the test, your doctor checks your results. Your results are compared with typical findings of a healthy person of your age and height.
This lets your doctor figure out to what extent your lung function is reduced.
In some cases, you may repeat a pulmonary function test after taking a bronchodilator medication. This checks to see if your results improve after this treatment.
