Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center provides a comprehensive range of cardio-respiratory services for our patients. Some of the more common tests are explained below:

Pulmonary Function Studies. (PFTS): 

These are breathing tests that determine how well your lungs are working.  We do several kinds.   For instance, to check and see if you have asthma, we do three different lung tests:  Methacholine Challenge test, Exercise Challenge test and Cold Air Challenge test.  To check for emphysema we do a test called pre and post spirometry and diffusion capacity and total lung volumes.  The last major lung test we do is Cardiopulmonary Stress Testing which looks at how both the heart and lungs, and how they are working together. 

For instance, to check and see if you have asthma, we do two different lung tests:  Methacholine Challenge test and Exercise Challenge test.

We do not perform cold air challenge testing.

Electrocardiogram (EKG):

This test looks at the electrical functioning of the heart to determine abnormalities. It is routinely done before surgery or if you come to the Emergency Room with chest pain. Cardiac Stress Test: This test determines if you have heart trouble by making you run on a treadmill after they have injected a nuclear radioisotope.  It determines if you need medication or a heart catheterization.

Echocardiogram (ECHO):

The test also looks at the heart but not the electrical activity like in EKG and stress.  This test looks at the mechanical functioning of the heart using ultrasound.  It looks at the muscle functioning and blood flow through the heart to determine abnormality.

Electroencephalogram (EEG):

This test is like the EKG in that it looks at electrical functioning of the brain instead of the heart and determines abnormalities.

Bronchoscopy: This test uses a flexible hose with a camera at the end, much like those used by heating and air conditioning repairmen.  But in this test, we actually look into the airways of the lungs to look for abnormalities.  This is done by a physician but we assist.

Resting Energy Expenditure (REE): This test determines the amount of calories your body burns while at rest.  Dieticians use this information plus other info to determine a diet.  A lot of men and women would like this test because it determines your caloric baseline and knowing that, you would know how many calories you could eat each day and still lose weight. 

Nebulizer treatments:  A treatment routinely used to treat shortness of breath caused by a variety of factors such as asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, bronchitis, croup, etc.