Pulmonary Function Test
Pulmonary function tests (PFTs). measure how well a patient's lungs are working (1). These tests are important for
asbestosis patients, because they show how much damage the
asbestos fibers have caused to their lungs (2).
Call us at (888) 360-4215 to speak with a mesothelioma paralegal
The PFTs are done in a doctor's office or special laboratory (3). It's best not to eat a heavy meal or smoke for several hours before taking the tests (3). The patient breathes in and out, into a tube that's attached to various machines (1). Some machines are kept in a sealed glass box that looks like a phone booth (1). It's important for the patient to try hard and give the tests their best shot, because a poor effort can skew the results (3).
Because the patients have to breathe hard and fast into that tube, sometimes they can feel dizzy or get short of breath (3).
Sometimes the technician, under the doctor's direction, will give the patient a breathing medicine partway through the test, to see how much the patient responds (1).
The PFT results are compared with those from other people who have taken the test, people of the same age, height, sex, and race (3). The results read as a percentage, saying that such a percentage of those similar people can perform these tests better or worse than the patient.