Pulmonary Function Testing: A Practical Guide to Its Use in Pediatric Practice
Howard Eigen MD, FAAP1
1 Professor of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, and Director, Section of Pediatric Pulmonology, James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis
Pulmonary function testing is a useful and important method by which to evaluate patients with or suspected of having lung disease. Pediatricians in the past have taken too little advantage of these techniques in their offices or through referral to pediatric pulmonary function laboratories and, when they have used them, have all too often relied on laboratories designed for adult patients. As with such tests as tympanometry and audiometry, pulmonary function testing should be incorporated into the daily practice of the modern pediatrician. The outlay for equipment is within the means of all pediatricians, and the charges to the patient for testing are quite reasonable, especially because they may be offset by savings from fewer emergency room visits and from a reduction in hospitalizations.
One person in the office must function as "technician" and is referred to as such in this article. In most offices, this person will have other responsibilities as well, but having one person fill the role of pulmonary function technician will improve the reliability of the results of the pulmonary function tests performed.
Although new techniques are being developed for testing young children and infants, these are beyond the scope of office practice because of the time and equipment they require.
