A Home Sleep Study Test (HST) is a sleep study that involves an overnight recording of a few important body functions and measurements in the comfort of your own home, in order to look for sleep apnea. During sleep testing, your body functions are monitored using several devices, including:

• Flexible elastic belts are placed around your chest and abdomen to monitor your breathing efforts.• A soft plastic cannula is placed in your nostrils to monitor airflow.• A clip is placed on your index finger to monitor the level of oxygen in your blood and your heart rate.

Pulmonary function tests are a group of tests that measure breathing and how well the lungs are functioning. The main tests that will be performed at RJM Diagnostics are Spirometry Pre and post-bronchodilator therapy, Slow volume capacity, Body Plethysmograph, Lung Diffusion, Maximal voluntary Ventilation, and Negative inspiratory force.

• SPIROMETRYSpirometry is a common breathing test that measures the maximum force of a patient’s breath after inhalation and exhalation. Patients with asthma or other breathing problems will perform spirometry pre- and post-bronchodilator in order to examine the effectiveness of the medication on their breathing problems.

• SLOW VITAL CAPACITYA slow vital capacity (SVC) is the volume of air expired, but this time through an unforced maneuver.Although the slow vital capacity spirometry test might seem similar to other spirometry tests, it is very important for a few reasons. Most vitally, it can be used to determine if there is airway obstruction, and this information can then use to determine how to solve some breathing issues.

• BODY PLETHYSMOGRAPHPlethysmography is used to measure changes in volume in different parts of the body. The test may be done to check for blood clots in the arms and legs. It is also done to measure how much air you can hold in your lungs.

• LUNG DIFFUSIONThe DLCO measures the ability of the lungs to transfer gas from inhaled air to the red blood cells in pulmonary capillaries.

• MAXIMAL VOLUNTARY VENTILATIONMaximal Voluntary Ventilation (MVV) is a spirometry test that measures the largest volume that can be moved into and out of the lungs during a 10-15 second interval with voluntary effort. MVV may indicate insufficient neuromuscular reserve, abnormal respiratory mechanics, or an inadequate effort.

This article is provided as a local blog/news resource with attribution to RJM Diagnostics.

Source: RJM Diagnostics.