Head of Department:	Dr B Buick
Contact:	028 9026 3428
	The Pulmonary Function Laboratory in the Regional Respiratory Centre, Belfast City Hospital provides a comprehensive service both to the Belfast City Hospital and to other hospitals throughout the province. Patients with respiratory disease, or systemic disorders in which there may be respiratory involvement are seen. A wide range of investigations of varying complexity is undertaken. Sleep Diagnostics provide a similar province - wide service for patients with sleep-related breathing disorders. Support is provided to ENT departments and also to QUB School of Dentistry. Location The Service is located in the Regional Respiratory Centre at the Belfast City Hospital on the ground floor of the Tower. The Unit also houses the office of the Respiratory Specialist nurses. Operational arrangements The Respiratory Investigation Unit operates Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Classification of Lung Function Tests Assessment of lung mechanics Assessment of gas exchange Assessment of physiological response to exercise Airway provocation testing Assessment of fitness to fly Assessment of sleep-disordered breathing Arterial blood gases Allergy skin testing Cough challenges
Common Tests Presently the lung function tests most commonly used in routine assessment are: Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR ). Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1 ). Forced Vital Capacity. Vital Capacity. Residual Volume. Total Lung Capacity. Reversibility of airflow limitation following bronchodilatation. Tests of gas transfer efficiency in the lung. Lung function tests are an aid in the diagnosis and management of patients with respiratory disorders. They cannot, in isolation, make a diagnosis but must be seen as part of the whole picture in conjunction with the history, physical findings and chest X-ray. Lung function tests are a convenient and reproducible way of monitoring changes in pulmonary physiology. The results of each test are reported, together with a predicted value, indicating the expected normal value relative to the patient's age, height and gender. The Clinical Physiologist will explain the procedures to the patient and the majority of patients manage to complete the tests without difficulty. Sleep studies are carried out mostly on a domiciliary basis and are managed from the Sleep Diagnostics section of the Pulmonary Function Laboratory.