What Is Spirometry Done With?

The spirometer is connected to a clean, usually disposable mouthpiece. You breathe through the mouthpiece while the machine measures how much air you move and how quickly you move it. A nose clip can help prevent air leaking from the nose. The clinician may ask for a relaxed breath, a full breath followed by a fast forceful exhalation, or repeated efforts.

Some appointments include a bronchodilator step. You perform the breathing manoeuvres, use the inhaled medicine as directed, wait for the stated interval and repeat the test. Comparing the recordings helps the clinician assess whether airflow changes after the medicine. The equipment records breathing; it does not itself provide a diagnosis.

Wear clothing that does not restrict your chest or abdomen. Avoid a heavy meal immediately beforehand if your clinic advises this, and follow instructions about smoking, exercise and inhalers. Bring a list of medicines and explain any recent infection, surgery, eye problem, chest problem or dizziness. During the test, sit upright, make a close seal around the mouthpiece and follow the technician's timing cues. Rest between attempts if you become tired.

Stop and tell the testing team if you develop chest pain, severe breathlessness, marked dizziness or wheezing. Seek urgent care for sudden breathing difficulty, fainting, blue-grey lips or confusion. If symptoms continue after the appointment, use your prescribed rescue plan and obtain medical help rather than repeating spirometry yourself.

Ask whether the appointment includes medicine before and after testing, which inhalers to withhold and for how long, whether your results can be affected by a recent infection, and how the findings will guide your care.