.

What Is Spirometer And How It Works

By Helene Norris


Spirometer is small and easy to use device used for spirometry. This procedure is used for measuring the amount of air that you breathe. It actually measures your lung capacity. For most restrictive and obstructive pulmonary diseases it is important to know how much air a patient can breathe out and how much time he needs for it.

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.

Incentive spirometer is mostly used after different surgeries, for people recovering from pneumonia or suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and similar diseases, or any other health condition that requires staying in bed for longer period of time. It helps you breathe properly and keeps your lungs clear and active. It can also prevent a collapse of one or both of your lungs.

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 has a tube you have to breathe air in through. A small ball or a piston will show you how much air you breathed in. Your doctor will give you special instructions about it. Over time, you will be able to breathe in more air, until normal level is reached. After you breathe in as much air as you can, keep it in for a few seconds, then breathe out normally.

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.




About the Author:



Share this article :
 

For Quick weight loss Copyright © 2013 Minima Template
Designed by BTDesigner · Powered by Blogger