Pulmonary Function Test

A Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) is a group of non-invasive tests that measure how well your lungs are working—specifically, how much air you can hold, how quickly you can move air in and out, and how well your lungs exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.

What PFTs Measure:

• Lung volumes – total amount of air the lungs can hold
• Flow rates – how fast you can exhale (important for asthma/COPD)
• Gas exchange – how efficiently oxygen gets into the blood and CO₂ is removed

Used to Diagnose or Monitor:

• Asthma
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Pulmonary fibrosis
• Lung damage from toxins or smoking
• Pre-surgical evaluation (especially for lung or heart surgeries)