Spirometer And How To Use It

By Helene Norris


Spirometry is very important when it comes to your lungs. It measures the amount of air that you can breathe out and the time you need to do that. Numerous diseases related to lungs capacity can be diagnosed using spirometer. Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and CF, as well as other obstructive and restrictive pulmonary diseases patients rely on this simple instrument.

Spirometry is very simple test. There are several types of spirometers, but hey all use the same principle. Chronic pulmonary patients take this test quarterly, under supervision, but it can hardly be enough for their condition. Anyway, the results are instantly visible, and they allow your doctor to see the state of your lungs.

Personal spirometers are also available, and can be very useful to all patients suffering from asthma, COPD and CF. Testing and tracking your lung function can be of a great help for people recovering from pneumonia, and all other patients suffering from lung diseases. You will be able to detect possible problems and inform your doctor about them timely.

Regular spirometry can provide very useful insight into your health condition, especially when these results are compared with previous ones. Daily spirometry could detect various problems and help you recognize your symptoms in time. This way you can seek medical care in time and prevent more serious problems, for example pneumonia.

Small personal incentive spirometer is very useful if you are recovering from surgery, for example. If you are forced to stay in bed for days, in pains, your breathing will become shallower and inadequate. This may result with lung collapse, and that's why it is so important to keep your lungs active and clean. Patients suffering from pneumonia and some chronic pulmonary problems will greatly benefit using this device.

During recovery period, people usually breathe shallow. Lungs cannot receive enough air this way, and fluids and mucus can obstruct their airways within one or both lungs. Built fluids can cause infections and pneumonia. That's why it is so important to breathe properly. Using spirometer may help you breathing properly, and this will keep your lungs clean and active.

Incentive spirometer is very easy to use. Simple models have a piston or a ball that shows you the amount of air you breathed in. Your doctor will tell you how much air you should breathe in to keep your lung active at first. After some time, you will be able to breathe in more air. The method is quite simple; breathe in as much as you can, keep it in foe a few seconds and then breathe out.

Your doctor will tell you how long you should practice breathing this way. After recommended breaths, you should try to cough a few times, to remove built up mucus from your lungs. If you had any surgery recently, you should gently press a pillow on your incision while trying to cough, to reduce the pain.

Spirometer will give you very precise results about your lung condition. Remember to write these results and show them to your doctor. Chronic pulmonary diseases patients will be able to track down all possible changes, and inform their doctor about these changes before they cause air flow obstructions and even more serious health problems.




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