Pediatric Lung Function Testing or Spirometry

Spirometry testing measures air flow in the lungs, and is one of the most widely used tests to measure lung function or pulmonary function. It is a simple test to find out if the airways are obstructed in any way because of asthma or any other condition. It also the tells the doctor if the medication (inhalers and oral medicines) are working. The child is asked to take a deep breath and then put a tube that is attached to a machine that measures the airflow in his mouth. He is then as ked to breath from his mouth into the tube and when instructed, blow hard and blow fast into the tube till the doctor says to stop. While the child does that, the machine detects the airflow and gives few numbers and graphs for the doctor to interpret. While this procedure is absolutely painless, it requires a lot of motivation and cooperation from the child. This is where the parents can help in making the child feel safe and comfortable and by encouraging them to complete the test. Sometimes this test maybe repeated twice after giving some medications by inhalers or nebulisers. This second test gives another set of figures and graphs to the doctor to interpret. This helps the doctor get more information about the child’s lung function. All children with asthma, recurrent wheezing, recurrent cough, exercise induced breathing difficulty, complex lung diseases need to take this test. All children with asthma who are on treatment are advised to take this test at least every year. This test can performed by trained personnel only like a pulmonologist or a trained technician. It is performed either in the doctor’s clinic or in PFT labs. Dr Ritika Goyal has been performing this test with children since 5 years.