Lung and Breathing Tests at UPMC Jameson

At UPMC Jameson, we offer tests to diagnose respiratory problems and ways to treat them.

UPMC Jameson trains students from Youngstown State University on pulmonary function tests and sleep studies.

Arterial Blood Gases (ABG)

ABGs test blood oxygen levels and measure how well the lungs and heart perform gas exchange.

• For outpatients, we schedule ABG tests.
• For inpatients, we do ABG testing as ordered by the care team.

Electroencephalography (EEG)

EEGs record the electrical activity of the brain. It's useful for ruling out seizures, tumors, headaches, and strokes.

• For outpatients, our staff schedules EEGs Monday through Friday.
• For inpatients, we do EEG testing as ordered by the care team.

Electromyography/Nerve Conduction Studies (EMG/NCS)

EMG/NCS can help diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome, pinched nerves, and nerve and muscle damage.

We schedule both inpatient and outpatient EMG/NCS.

• For outpatients, we test on Monday.
• For inpatients, we test as needed.

Evoked Potentials (EP)

EP tests of the nervous system include:

• Visual EP tests to measure the speed of nerve messages from the eye to the brain.
• Auditory EP tests to measure the speed of the brain's response to sound.

MSL Testing

MSL (multi-sleep latency) testing is a “nap” test to rule out narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a disorder marked by excessive daytime sleepiness or sudden attacks of sleep.

We offer MSL testing Sunday through Friday after an overnight sleep study.

Methacholine Chloride Challenge Testing (MCT) and Treatment

MCT helps diagnose hyperactive airway disease in people who have a chronic cough and shortness of breath with normal breathing tests. It can also help diagnose asthma.

Treatments may include:

• Oxygen therapy
• Ventilator care
• Incentive spirometry
• Aerosol therapy
• Intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPB)
• Pulmonary rehab
• Chest physiotherapy (CPT)
• Postural draining
• BiPap/C-Pap

Pulmonary Function Tests (PFT)

PFT diagnose obstructive and restrictive lung disease, abnormal gas exchange, and lung volume issues.

• For outpatients, our staff schedules PF tests Monday through Friday.
• For inpatients, we do PF tests as ordered by the care team.

Pulse Oximetry

This painless test measures oxygen levels in the blood.

Airway or Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS)

EBUS is a test that uses ultrasound and a bronchoscope to view the airway wall and structures next to it.

This low-risk test gives doctors EBUS highly valued data for diagnosing and treating lung problems. It may replace more invasive methods for staging lung cancer or testing future lesions.

EBUS also lets doctors:

• Take samples of mucus, fluid, and cells from the respiration tract secretions.
• Biopsy the airway, lungs, and structures of the chest between the lungs.

Your doctor might want you to have EBUS if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Constant or unexplained cough, hoarseness, vocal cord paralysis.
• Coughing up of blood from the respiratory tract, often due to a severe infection.
• Wheezing, shortness of breath.
• Chest pain.

Other reasons doctors may use EBUS are to:

• Assess lung transplant rejection.
• Check for chest or airway trauma.
• Diagnose and stage lung cancer.
• Look for cancer cells in phlegm regardless of a normal chest x-ray.
• Test for suspected tracheoesophageal fistula, a rare birth defect.
• Remove foreign bodies from the lungs.

Endobronchial Ultrasound–Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (EBUS-TBNA)

EBUS-TBNA uses ultrasound and a bronchoscope expressly designed for lung biopsies and staging to take samples of the lymph nodes and nodules.

The scope’s design lets doctors see the lymph nodes and surrounding vessels in real-time.

Compared to classic “blind” TBNA, the EBUS-TBNA system:

• Makes biopsies safer and more precise.
• Offers a less invasive, less costly way to take samples of the lymph nodes.

Your doctor may order EBUS-TBNA to help diagnose:

• Lung cancer
• Distant spread of other known or unknown cancer types
• Lymphoma (benign or malignant disease of the lymph nodes)
• Tuberculosis
• Sarcoidosis
• Fungal lung infections
• Other diseases

Contact Us About EBUS at UPMC Jameson

Specialty trained interventional pulmonologists at UPMC Jameson perform EBUS testing. To learn more, call 724-656-2249.

Shape-HF Cardiopulmonary Exercise (CPX) System Testing

The Shape-HF CPX System is an innovative stress test to assess and treat heart failure and lung disease.

The Shape System has a special mouthpiece that you blow into.

The system tests the gas, and a computer with Shape software organizes the data. This gives your doctor an instant and clear picture of the condition of your heart.

The test is low impact and low intensity, and it's easy on patients. Even people with high-risk or sensitive conditions can complete the test with little or no trouble.

The pros of using Shape-HF CPX testing

Before the Shape-HF CPX System, people with possible congestive heart failure and other sensitive heart problems took a stress test. The test required physical activity to raise their heart rate by more than 15 beats per second.

Because the physical stress test is hard for some people, doctors often need to order more tests to prescribe the correct treatment.

The Shape-HF CPX System:

• Offers one low-impact test giving doctors what they need to diagnose and treat heart and lung problems.
• Eases the burden of standard exercise stress testing.
• Allows doctors to track your progress over time and measure your response to treatment.
• Provides objective criteria so doctors can classify your heart function.
• Gives doctors data that predicts the risk of hospital stays and patient death rates.