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Offered by Dr. Manish Aggarwal, Principal Director, Department of Chest Disease & Interventional Pulmonology, Max Hospital, with 24+ years of experience in respiratory diagnostics and care.
A pulmonary function test, or PFT, is a group of breathing tests that together give a detailed picture of your lung health. While spirometry measures airflow, a full PFT goes further, also assessing total lung volume and how efficiently oxygen passes from your lungs into your bloodstream.
This combination allows the doctor to tell whether a breathing problem is due to narrowed airways, reduced lung capacity, impaired gas exchange, or a combination of these, which is essential for reaching an accurate diagnosis.
• 24+ years of clinical experience diagnosing and managing the full range of respiratory conditions.
• Credentials: MBBS, MD (Tuberculosis & Chest Diseases), FRCP (Glasgow), trained at premier Indian institutes.
• Current Role: Principal Director, Department of Chest Disease & Interventional Pulmonology, Max Hospital, also practicing at his private clinic in Pitampura, Delhi.
• Personalized Review: Test results are personally reviewed and interpreted by Dr. Aggarwal in the context of your symptoms, history, and prior tests, not simply issued as a standalone report.
• Efficiency: Access to same-day PFT assays, helping you get diagnosed and started on treatment without unnecessary delay.
• International Exposure: Clinical work across leading NHS hospitals in the UK, including Lister Hospital (Stevenage), Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (King's Lynn), The Great Western Hospital (Swindon), and Diana Princess of Wales Hospital (Grimsby).
• Professional Memberships: Active member of respected global and national bodies, including the European Respiratory Society (ERS), American College of Physicians (ACP), Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM, USA), European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), and Indian Chest Society.
• Patient-First Mindset: Rated 4.9 on Google with 350+ verified patient reviews, known for a patient-first, clearly-explained approach to care.
Diagnose and classify conditions such as asthma, COPD, and interstitial lung disease
Distinguish between obstructive lung disease, where airflow is limited, and restrictive lung disease, where lung capacity is reduced
Investigate persistent breathlessness, chronic cough, or reduced exercise tolerance
Evaluate lung involvement in conditions like sarcoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis, or connective tissue disease
Assess fitness for surgery, particularly chest or major abdominal procedures
Monitor disease progression over time and track how well treatment is working
Assess lung function before starting certain medications that can affect the lungs
Confirming the diagnosis and grading the severity of airway obstruction.
Where reduced lung volumes and impaired gas transfer are key findings.
Monitoring lung involvement over time.
Linked to dust, chemical, or fume exposure at work.
Evaluating scenarios where muscle weakness impacts overall lung function.
Particularly crucial before lung, chest, or major abdominal surgery.
A structured, anatomical way to identify the underlying cause.
If you have ongoing breathlessness, a known lung condition that needs monitoring, or an upcoming surgery, a full PFT gives Dr. Manish Aggarwal the detailed information needed to guide your care.
Living with breathlessness that hasn't been fully explained?
Measuring how much and how fast you can breathe air in and out, used to detect airway narrowing.
Assessing the total amount of air your lungs can hold, helping identify restrictive lung conditions.
Measuring how efficiently oxygen moves from your lungs into your bloodstream, important in conditions like pulmonary fibrosis.
*Depending on your symptoms, Dr. Aggarwal may recommend the full panel or a more targeted combination of these tests.
• Avoid heavy meals and vigorous exercise for at least an hour before your test.
• If you use an inhaler, ask the clinic in advance whether you should hold off on using it before the test, as this can affect results.
• Avoid smoking for at least an hour, and ideally longer, before your appointment.
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing that does not restrict your chest or abdomen.
• Let the technician know about any recent chest pain, heart attack, eye surgery, or abdominal surgery, as these may affect how certain parts of the test are performed.
Spirometry Phase: You will be guided through each component of the test individually, starting typically with spirometry, where you breathe forcefully into a mouthpiece.
Lung Volumes: For lung volume measurement, you may sit inside a small, clear booth called a body plethysmograph, or breathe a specific gas mixture through a mouthpiece, depending on the equipment used.
Gas Diffusion: For the diffusion capacity test, you take a single deep breath of a harmless gas mixture, hold it briefly, and then exhale, allowing the machine to measure oxygen transfer metrics. A complete testing panel typically takes 30 to 45 minutes.
There is no recovery time needed, and most people resume normal activities immediately after. Some people feel briefly tired from the repeated forceful breathing maneuvers, which settles quickly with a short rest. Dr. Aggarwal reviews your complete results alongside history, symptoms, and prior imaging to establish next steps.
PFT panels are structurally safe for most people, but because they involve forceful breathing maneuvers, they may be modified or postponed in clinical situations such as recent heart attack, unstable chest pain, recent eye/abdominal/chest surgery, unresolved pneumothorax, uncontrolled coughing of blood, or severe rest dyspnea.
You must notify our clinic staff immediately if you experience persistent dizziness, localized chest discomfort that does not easily settle with light rest after the test, newly developed or rapidly worsening breathlessness, or any other distinct secondary respiratory symptoms that concern you following the panel evaluation.
Spirometry is one part of a PFT, measuring airflow. A complete PFT can also include lung volume measurement and diffusion capacity testing, giving a fuller picture of both how your lungs move air and how well they exchange oxygen.
No. It involves breathing into a mouthpiece and, for some components, sitting in a small testing booth or breathing a harmless gas mixture. There is no needle or sedation involved.
A complete test with all components usually takes 30 to 45 minutes, depending on which parts are required for your evaluation.
Many chronic lung conditions are monitored with periodic PFTs to track progression and response to treatment. How often depends on your specific diagnosis, as advised by Dr. Aggarwal.
This depends on what the test is being used to assess. The clinic will advise you in advance whether to continue or temporarily hold your inhaler before your appointment.
We are available to answer queries, schedule urgent EBUS sessions or arrange Sleep diagnostic devices.
Get a full pulmonary function assessment and clear, expert interpretation from Dr. Manish Aggarwal, Delhi's leading pulmonologist with 24+ years of respiratory care experience.
📍 Clinic Address: JU-12A, Block G&JU, Ranikhet, Pitampura, Delhi, 110034
📞 Call Desk: +91 9899554095 | ✉️ Email: Aggarmanish@gmail.com