Akosua Aikman (left), respiratory therapist, at the University Hospital of the West Indies' Pulmonary Unit, assists patient, Donna Brown, to carry out the pulmonary function test. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer RENEWED ASTHMA attacks caused Donna Brown to undergo, for the first time, a pulmonary function test.
She had been enjoying a respite no asthma attacks for some time but she did not know that she should have continued taking her asthma medication, even though she was not having any attacks.
After clearing up this misunderstanding with Mrs. Brown, Akosua Aikman, respiratory therapist, at the University Hospital of the West Indies' Pulmonary Unit, guided the patient through the pulmonary function test (the spirometry).
A new mouthpiece taken from a sealed plastic bag was attached to the spirometer; Mrs. Brown's nostrils were restricted with a nose clip and she was instructed by an animated Miss Aikman on different breathing patterns.
"Breathe normally, take a deep breath, blow out your breath fast and long, take in another deep breath, breathe normally," Miss Aikman instructed her patient.
As the patient followed these breathing instructions, the computer attached to the spirometer immediately plots the values on a graph as curves and loops.
These curves and loops on the computer-generated graphs will provide important information which the medical specialists can interpret to determine, in the case of Mrs. Brown, the progress of her condition. But, in the case of most of the other 40 or so outpatients visiting the Unit each week, these curves and loops will be critical to diagnose the conditions affecting their lungs such as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary embolism.
A diagnosis of normal lungs, Miss Aikman indicated, would be based upon the patient's age, height, race and gender. A value is considered abnormal if it is less than 80 per cent of that person's predicted value.
