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Many people experience lung disorders and diseases. At St. Rita's Medical
Center, we offer the complete pulmonary function test to help determine what
a patient might be suffering from. These tests may be ordered individually
at the physician's discretion. A complete pulmonary function test includes:
spirometry (to measure peak expiratory flow rates), DLCO (to measure diffusion
capacity) and lung volumes.
Patients should arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled test and check in with
St. Rita's Outpatient Registration. This area is located on the first floor
of the Medical Center behind the Information Desk in the main lobby.
- Do Not Use the Following Inhalers for at Least Four to Six Hours
Before the Test:
- Albuterol
- Proventil
- Ventolin
- Alupent
- Maxair
- Brethaire
- Atrovent
- Combivent
- Do Not Use Serevent or Advair Inhalers for at Least 12 Hours
Before the Test. (If you are unable to go this amount of time without your
inhaler, please make a note of the last time you
used it.)
- No Caffeine (Coffee, Cola, Tea or Chocolate) for at Least Six
Hours Before the Test
- No Smoking or Alcohol the Day of the Test
- You May Eat a Light Meal Before the Test if You Choose
- Avoid Cold Air Exposure and Exercise if Possible
This test takes approximately one hour. During this time, you will
be sitting inside a booth. The technologist will instruct and demonstrate various
breathing maneuvers for you to repeat. For each maneuver, you will have snug
fitting clips on your nose and will breath through a mouthpiece. The technologist
may have the patient repeat each maneuver several times. For your comfort,
the mouthpiece and nose clips can be removed between each breathing attempt.
A specially trained physician will interpret the test within 24 hours and
send the results to the referring physician.
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For More Information
(419) 226-9169
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Scheduling: |
The complete pulmonary function test must be ordered by a physician. To schedule an appointment, contact St. Rita’s Central Scheduling at (419) 226-9056 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Appointment times are available Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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Did You Know: |
Huffers and Puffers is a support group for persons with breathing disorders. To learn more about this support group, please contact the American Lung Association at (419) 663-LUNG (5864) or St. Rita’s Medical Center at (419) 226-9674.
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