Lung disorders such as asthma, bronchitis are a growing concern today. Estimates suggest that 30 million individuals in India are affected by asthma. A useful measure to screen, diagnose and monitor lung disorders is to go for a Lung Function Test. At Apollo Clinic, we constantly stress the importance of screening tests in preserving the health of your lungs.

What are Lung Function Tests?

Lung Function Tests (LFTs), also known as Pulmonary Function Tests (PFT) are a broad range of tests that measure how well your lungs work. They help determine how well your lungs take in and exhale the air; and how efficiently they transfer oxygen into the blood. These tests are used to diagnose various lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, bronchitis. LFTs also help to measure the severity of the problems and check to see if the treatment for the disease is having the desired effect.

A Lung Function Test includes breathing tests and other tests that help in measuring the oxygen levels in the blood. The breathing tests often used are:
Spirometry: This helps to measure how much air you breathe in and how quickly you exhale it.
Lung Diffusion Capacity: This helps to measure how efficiently oxygen is passed from your lungs to your bloodstream. A lung test measures:

Tidal Volume (VT) – Total amount of air exhaled or inhaled during normal breathing
Vital Capacity (VC) – Total volume of air that can be exhaled after inhaling as much as you can
Minute Volume (MV) – Total amount of air exhaled per minute
Functional Residual Capacity (FRC) – Amount of air left in the lungs after exhaling normally
Residual Volume – Amount of air left in the lungs after exhaling as much as you can
Total Lung Capacity – Total volume of the lungs when filled with as much air as possible
Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) – Amount of air exhaled forcefully and quickly after inhaling as much as you can
Forced Expiratory Flow (FEF) – The average rate of flow during the middle half of the FVC test
Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV) – Amount of air expired during the first, second and third seconds of the FVC test
Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) – The fastest rate that you can force air out of your lungs
The normal values of the lung capacity test vary from individual to individual. The results of your tests will be compared with that of the people who share the same age, height, sex and race as you.

Apollo Support

At Apollo Clinic, we use cutting-edge Pulmonary Lung Function Test equipment, follow strict processes and have highly skilled and experienced pulmonologists, technicians, physicians, surgeons, nurses and support staff to ensure that each pulmonary test yields perfect results.