Pediatric Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) Lab
Pediatric Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) Lab
Our Approach
It can be very distressing when your child has breathing problems. Our Pulmonary Function
Testing (PFT) Lab helps Pediatric Pulmonologists, Asthma and Allergy Specialists,
and other Specialists at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia to diagnose and treat
many kinds of breathing disorders and diseases. The PFT Lab is also used to monitor
the effectiveness of treatment for patients with lung conditions.
Our Services
Our dedicated Pediatric Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) Lab staffs certified Pediatric
Respiratory Therapists who specialize in treating children. They are trained to perform
many diagnostic tests and procedures to test lung function in pediatric patients.
Diagnostic Tests and Procedures
We use child-friendly equipment and procedures to administer a full range of diagnostic
tests including:
- Spirometry, a test that measures how much air, and how quickly, a person breathes out, to see
how well the lungs are working. It is used to diagnose breathing problems like asthma
and bronchitis.
- Lung volume test, more precise than spirometry, this test measures the volume of air in the lungs, including the air that remains at the end of a normal breath.
- Exhaled nitric oxide test, a breath test to measure nitrogen levels for asthma and other conditions.
- Bronchial provocation test, done to check the sensitivity of your lungs to allergens and other triggers.
- Exercise tests, where a patient runs on a treadmill and then has lung function tested to diagnose
exercise-induced asthma.
- Plethysmography, to measure how much air your lungs can hold. It is common for patients with asthma
or cystic fibrosis to have this test.
- Sweat testing, a test to diagnose cystic fibrosis, a genetic lung disease that damages the lungs and other organs.
