Pulmonary Function Lab

The Pulmonary Function Lab is located on the 3rd level of the main hospital at GBMC.

Pulmonary function tests are used:

• to help diagnose and evaluate lung disease,
• to determine the appropriateness and effectiveness of new and current treatments, and
• to measure how severely the lung is damaged.

In addition, pulmonary function tests are important to assess the health of a person's lungs before chest surgery.

There are two general types of pulmonary function tests:

• ventilation tests, and
• arterial blood gas studies.

Before having a ventilation type of pulmonary function test, it is best to avoid the following activities:

• eating a heavy meal or solid food for four to six hours,
• smoking for four hours, and
• exercising for four hours.

In addition, unless advised to do so by your doctor, you should not take any medication for four hours before the test.