Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) Laboratory

The pediatric pulmonary function laboratory at Miller Children’s Hospital offers specialized lung function testing for infants, children and adolescents. This state-of-the-art laboratory is one of the few laboratories dedicated to the evaluation and testing of children with lung disorders, by accurately measuring their lung volume. The PFT laboratory houses an impulse oscillometry system (IOS system), which allows for early diagnosis of asthma. This system enables definitive diagnoses for children as young as 3 years of age, enabling early intervention and individualized asthma management plans. For some tests an infant or child may need to be sedated. Parents will need to follow special instructions for sedation prior to the test being done.

Services Provided

The pediatric pulmonary function laboratory at Miller Children’s provides a full range of diagnostic tests for infants, children and adolescents with lung disorders. Services include:

• Infant Pulmonary Testing
• Spirometry
• Exercise cardio-metabolic-pulmonary testing
• IOS system for early asthma diagnosis
• State-of-the-art exercise testing for patients with exercise-induced asthma
• High-Altitude testing
• Full pulmonary function testing, including DLCO testing for patients on chemotherapy
• Comprehensive pulmonary function testing for cystic fibrosis as recommended by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

In most circumstances, in order to keep the child at ease during their lung function testing, one parent is allowed to be in the PFT lab while their child undergoes a pulmonary function test. Also, if the pulmonologist and parent feel its needed a child life specialist can be requested to help explain the procedure to the child.