Pulmonary function test

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This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

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In medicine, pulmonary function tests, also called respiratory function tests, are "measurement of the various processes involved in the act of respiration: inspiration, expiration, oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, lung volume and compliance, etc.[1]

Respiratory flow volume loop of a patient without abnormalities. Respiratory flow volume loop of a patient with obstructive lung disease. Respiratory flow volume loop of a patient with restrictive lung disease.

Pulmonary function tests include:

* Blood gas analysis
* Capnography
* Exercise tests
* Lung volume measurements
* Peak expiratory flow rate
* Spirometry
* Ventilation-perfusion ratio (V/Q scan)

While precise measurements of these parameters take specialized equipment, often requiring considerable operator skill, it is worth noting that inexpensive peak flow meters are a vital part of patient self-management of asthma and several other respiratory diseases.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Anonymous (2025), Pulmonary function test (English). Medical Subject Headings. U.S. National Library of Medicine.