PFT (Pulmonary Function Test / Spirometry) in Dadar West, Mumbai

At a Glance

What a PFT measures

Spirometry is the usual first lung function test. From the air you blow out after your deepest breath, it calculates:

• FEV1: how much air you blow out in the first second
• FVC: the total air you can blow out after a full breath in
• FEV1/FVC ratio: the share of that air that comes out in the first second
• Peak flow (PEF): the fastest speed of your blow

What the results mean

Your results are compared with the expected range for a healthy person like you, based on your age, height and the other details you give us. An FEV1/FVC ratio below the expected range means air is coming out too slowly because the airways are narrowed, as in asthma and COPD. If FEV1 and FVC are both low but the ratio is normal, the lungs may be holding less air than expected, as in lung fibrosis, obesity, chest wall problems or muscle weakness. A low FVC can also come from a breath in or a blow out that was not complete, so other tests are needed to confirm the cause.

If your doctor has asked for a reversibility test, the blows are repeated after a reliever inhaler. A large improvement supports asthma. In COPD the narrowing does not return to normal after the inhaler, although some improvement is common, so the result is always read together with your symptoms and history.

A PFT takes no pictures, so it cannot show pneumonia, TB or a lung nodule. For that your doctor may ask for a chest X-ray or an HRCT chest, which is often paired with a PFT when lung fibrosis (ILD) is suspected.

When doctors ask for a PFT

Common reasons include:

• Wheezing, chest tightness, or a cough that is worse at night or early morning, to check for asthma
• Breathlessness or a cough with phlegm lasting months, especially in smokers, former smokers and people exposed to chulha (wood or biomass) smoke, dust or fumes, to check for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a long-term narrowing of the airways)
• Breathlessness on exertion without a clear cause, often with an ECG or 2D echo to check the heart
• Following asthma, COPD, lung fibrosis, bronchiectasis or lung damage after TB, and checking how treatment is working
• Before an operation, especially chest or upper abdominal surgery, or if you have lung disease or a long smoking history

When the test may need to wait

Blowing out hard briefly raises pressure in the chest, head and abdomen and makes the heart work harder, so your doctor may postpone the test if any of the points below applies to you. Tell us about them when you book on WhatsApp. Spirometry is generally safe in pregnancy, but tell us if you are pregnant, especially in the later months. Your doctor decides whether the test goes ahead, and our team confirms the timing with you.

• A heart attack in the last few weeks, or heart failure or an irregular heartbeat that is not under control
• Recent surgery on the eye (including cataract), chest, abdomen, brain, ear or sinuses, or a recent head injury that still causes symptoms
• A collapsed lung (pneumothorax) not yet cleared by your doctor, a recent blood clot in the lungs (pulmonary embolism), or a known aneurysm
• Very high blood pressure that is not controlled, very low blood pressure, or fainting after hard coughing
• Coughing up blood that has not yet been checked by your doctor
• A cold, flu or chest infection that has not settled, or TB that may still be infectious

How to prepare

Our team confirms the exact preparation when you book on WhatsApp.

• No fasting. Eat a light meal, but avoid a heavy meal in the 2 hours before, as a full stomach makes a deep breath harder.
• Do not smoke, vape or use a hookah for at least 1 hour before, avoid alcohol for at least 8 hours before, and avoid hard exercise in the hour before.
• Inhalers: when the aim is to confirm a diagnosis, your doctor may ask you to hold your reliever inhaler (such as salbutamol) for about 4-6 hours and longer-acting or combination inhalers for a day or two; when the aim is to check how well your treatment is working, you usually carry on as normal. Stop an inhaler only if your doctor has told you to, and never stop heart, blood pressure or diabetes medicines on your own.
• If you feel wheezy before the test, use your reliever inhaler and tell our team.
• Bring your prescription, your inhalers, a list of your medicines and any earlier PFT reports.
• Wear loose clothes that do not squeeze your chest or tummy. If you wear dentures, keep them in unless they are loose.

What happens during the test

You sit upright on a chair. Our team measures your height and weight and shows you exactly what to do. A soft clip goes on your nose, and you seal your lips tightly around the mouthpiece.

After a few normal breaths, you take the biggest breath you can, blast it out as hard and fast as possible, and keep blowing until no more air comes out, often for 6 seconds or longer, while the team encourages you. This is repeated at least three times, with short rests, until the readings are consistent; some people need a few more attempts. The result depends on your effort: a half-hearted blow can make healthy lungs look weak.

If a reversibility test is included, you then take a measured dose of a reliever inhaler, wait about 15 minutes, and repeat the blows.

Is a PFT safe? Does it hurt?

It is generally safe, and it does not hurt; it takes effort, not pain. There are no needles, no dye and no radiation, and you stay seated throughout. Some people feel briefly light-headed, cough or feel tired after several hard blows; this passes with a short rest, and you can stop at any time. If you feel chest pain, dizziness that does not settle, or become very breathless, stop and tell the team straight away. Forced blowing can occasionally bring on wheeze in asthma, so keep your reliever inhaler with you. The reliever inhaler used for a reversibility test can cause a brief shaky feeling or a fast heartbeat, so tell us beforehand if you have a heart rhythm problem. Afterwards you can return to your normal day, including driving once any light-headedness has passed, and restart any inhaler you held back.

Your PFT at AV Scan

The practical details can be settled on WhatsApp before you leave home.

• Performed by our trained team, who demonstrate each step and coach you through every blow.
• Most reports the same day, sent to your WhatsApp, for your doctor to read alongside your symptoms and examination.
• WhatsApp us a photo of your prescription and we confirm the preparation, whether a reversibility test is included, and the exact price before your visit, or request an appointment online.
• Cashless with most major insurers and TPAs, and empanelled for CGHS, ECHS and MJPJAY. Tell us your insurer or scheme and we will check what applies.
• Open Monday to Saturday 8am-10pm and Sunday 8am-5pm.
• Ground floor with step-free entry on Shankar Ghanekar Marg, near Shivaji Park and Siddhivinayak Temple: no stairs to climb before a breathing test.
• An ECG, 2D echo, TMT, chest X-ray, HRCT chest and blood tests (samples collected at the centre) are done here too, if your doctor has asked for them.