OSWEGO — Oswego Health has reopened its pulmonary function testing lab (PFT) following its closure in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health system held a formal reopening ceremony for the PFT lab on April 3. PFTs are noninvasive tests that show how well the lungs are working. The tests measure lung volume, capacity, […]
OSWEGO — Oswego Health has reopened its pulmonary function testing lab (PFT) following its closure in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health system held a formal reopening ceremony for the PFT lab on April 3. PFTs are noninvasive tests that show how well the lungs are working. The tests measure lung volume, capacity, rates of flow, and gas exchange. Medical staff may use PFTs to check lung function before surgery or other procedures in patients who have lung or heart problems, who are smokers, or who have other health conditions. Another use of PFTs is to assess treatment for asthma, emphysema, and other chronic lung problems, Oswego Health noted. Respiratory therapist Todd Davison will be managing the PFT lab at Oswego Health and conducting tests that include basic spirometry, pre- and post-spirometry, and complete pulmonary function testing with or without a bronchodilator. The tests also include industrial screening, plethysmography (lung volume determination), nitrogen washout, diffusing capacity, methacholine challenge test, simple pulmonary exercise test (six-minute walk test), arterial blood gases, and pre-op pulmonary function testing.