Heart symptoms and lung problems tend to come hand in hand. Below are some tests used to discover problems with the heart and lungs:
- Pulse oximetry. This measures how well the heart is delivering oxygen throughout the body. A clip is attached to a finger, and shines an infrared light through the skin, registering how much oxygen is in the tissues. The quantity of oxygen in these tissues is measured as a percentage. If this level consistently reads below 90%, it may be necessary to provide the body with extra oxygen in order to prevent damage to the heart and other tissues.
- Pulmonary function testing (PFT). PFT is a general term for tests that determine how well the airways and lungs are functioning. These tests simply require you to breathe into a machine. Spirometry, for example, measures how quantity and speed of air you are able to breathe out.
