Most patients will feel fine following testing and can resume normal activities immediately after finishing the tests. However, in some cases patients develop symptoms after testing that require medical attention. Patients should contact their doctor if any of the following symptoms occur after pulmonary function testing:

• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty breathing
• Cough
• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Nausea
• Muscle aches
• Malaise (general feeling of illness)

The availability of test results varies depending on which types of tests were given. In some cases, a physician or healthcare provider will explain the test results to patients immediately after the test is complete. In other instances, a healthcare provider will contact the patient at a later time once the results have been analyzed and interpreted.

Some of the common aspects of lung function that are analyzed include:

• Tidal volume (VT) – Amount of air inhaled in a normal breath
  
  
• Vital capacity (VC) – Maximum amount of air exhaled after inhaling as deeply as possible
  
  
• Forced expiratory flow (FEF) – Average rate of flow during middle half of FVC
  
  
• Force expiratory volume (FEV) – Amount of air exhaled forcefully in a sustained breath at 1 second (FEV1) 2 seconds (FEV2), or 3 seconds (FEV3)
  
  
• Functional residual capacity (FRC) – Amount of air remaining in lungs after normal respiration
  
  
• Forced vital capacity (FVC) – Total amount of air exhaled during forced expiratory volume test
  
  
• Inspiratory capacity (IC) – Amount of air that can be inhaled after normal expiration
  
  
• Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) – Measure of how quickly a person can exhale
  
  
• Maximum ventilation volume (MVV) – Greatest amount of air a person can breathe in and out in one minute
  
  
• Residual volume (RV) – Amount of air left in the lungs after complete exhalation
  
  
• Total lung capacity (TLC) – Maximum amount of air in the lungs after complete inhalation
  
  
• Thoracic gas volume (TGV) – Total volume of gas in lungs from both ventilated and nonventilated airways
  
  
• Diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) – Estimate of lungs’ ability to transfer gas from lungs into the bloodstream.

Results can be interpreted as follows: