Lung Function Test (Breathing Test) For Children and Young People

Introduction

During your child’s respiratory (breathing/lung/asthma) appointment the doctor or nurse may decide that they need their lung function tested. This is also known as a breathing test.

These tests should not cause pain and can be done very quickly. The test includes 2 different types of breathing test:

• Spirometry (including a reversibility test).
• FeNO test.

What is spirometry?

Spirometry is one of the most common lung function tests. Spirometry plays an important part in assessing and managing your child’s respiratory condition.

Spirometry looks at how fast your child can blow air out of their lungs.

What happens during the test?

Your child will need to have their height and weight measured. This will be put into the spirometry machine along with other measurements. This helps the machine give an accurate lung function result.

Your child will be asked to take a deep breath in, and then to place the mouthpiece in their mouth and blow out as hard as they can, for as long as they can, until they have emptied their lungs.

This test will be repeated at least 3 times in total, however sometimes it will have to be done a few more times to get a proper result.

Reversibility test

Sometimes a test of how medication works is needed. A bronchodilator medicine (which opens the airways to help people breathe) such as salbutamol is used. Salbutamol relaxes the muscles in the lungs and the airways to make breathing easier.

This test is done after the spirometry test. Your child will be given the salbutamol in an inhaler and spacer, and after 15 minutes the spirometry test will be repeated to see if their result has changed.

Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) test

This test measures the inflammation in your child’s lungs. Your child will be asked to breathe in through a mouthpiece (like sucking on a big straw) and then blow out gently and smoothly.

We use an interactive game such as a picture of a cloud on the screen, and your child will need to blow the cloud from one side of the screen to the other.

The machine measures how much Nitric Oxide is breathed out and will help the doctors and nurses to measure your child’s breathing condition.

What are the advantages of these tests?

By doing these tests we can see how well the lungs are working and find out if your child is on the right medication.

The tests can also help to decide if treatment needs to be changed.

What are the risks?

Sometimes doing these tests can make people feel a bit dizzy or light headed. The tests can also make someone cough and feel short of breath for a little while after doing them. These symptoms will pass quickly.

Are there any alternative treatments?

Spirometry and FeNO are the best way to determine how well lungs work. There are no other tests available.

Contact numbers

If you have any questions or worries about lung function tests please contact the Children’s administration hub and leave a message for one of our respiratory nurses who will return your call;

Children’s Administration Hub: 01429 522717

Further Information

Great Ormond Street Hospital

www.gosh.nhs.uk/lungfunction

NHS Website

www.nhs.uk/conditions/spirometry

Great North Childrens Hospital (Newcastle)

https://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/services/respiratory-service/lung-function/

Comments, concerns, compliments or complaints

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