PFT (Pulmonary Function Test)
PFT measures how much air and how well air moves in and out of your
lungs. The test checks how your lungs work. It may be done to check for
lung disease, how you respond to your treatment, or how well your lungs
work before surgery.
Arrive on time for your test. The test takes about 1 hour.
To Prepare
• Do not smoke for 4-6 hours before the test.
• Only eat a small meal before the test so you can take deep breaths during
the test.
• If you take lung medicine, your doctor will tell you which medicines you
need to stop taking and for how long before the test.
During the Test
• A nose clip is put on your nose so
that you breathe through your
mouth.
• You breathe in and out through a
tube that goes to a machine.
• You may be asked to:
─ Breathe in as deeply as you can
and then blow air out as fast as
you can.
─ Breathe normally and then take
in as big a breath as you can.
• You may be given medicine to
inhale and have more testing to see
the effect of the medicine.
• Tell the staff if you need to rest during the test.
• A blood sample may be taken to measure the oxygen in your blood.
After the Test
• You may feel tired and need to rest.
• Test results are sent to your doctor. Your doctor will share the results