How To Use Your Spirometer

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.

Checking the degree of restriction or obstruction of air flow using medical spirometer is usually done quarterly. Medically supervised test takes just a few minutes, and you can see the results right away. There are different types of spirometers available, and some are more sophisticated, with more functions.

Small, easy to use digital spirometers are available for home use as well. They can become quite useful for all people suffering from lung diseases such as COPD or CF. Problems may appear days before the first symptoms, and they can be easily recognized using this simple test. The same test can also help patients recovering from surgery or pneumonia.

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.

Shallow, inadequate breathing may lead to lung collapse, the formation of mucus and different infections such as pneumonia. Spirometer will help you breathe properly, improving the capacity of your lungs. It will clear up obstructed air passages and improve your health condition.

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.

Every time you use your spirometer, you should keep tracking your results and write them down to show them to your doctor. This handy little device will provide valuable information about your health condition and may prevent numerous complications. It really is very useful for recovering patients, as well as for people suffering from chronic lung diseases.




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