Pulmonary Function Tests-Relevance to Anesthesiologists

Pulmonary function tests are non-invasive tests to study the lung function. They measure lung volume, capacity, rates of flow, and gas exchange. Spirometry measures rate of air flow and lung size, lung volume tests accurately measures how much volume lungs can hold, pulse oximetry helps estimates oxygen level in the blood, lung diffusion capacity measures how well oxygen gets into blood on inhaling air into lungs, and arterial blood gas analyses the level of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood stream. This review article summarizes a brief review of pulmonary function testing and its relevance to anesthesiologist.