A Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) is a painless breathing test that can help the doctor determine if your child's lungs are working properly. A PFT can also help the doctor decide if different kinds of medicines are effective.
The pulmonary function technologist will teach your child a few different ways of breathing. During the test, your child will blow into a tube with force, a lot like blowing out birthday candles. After this test, a bronchodilator (a medicine that opens the small airways in the lungs) will be given either as an inhaler or nebulized solution. The breathing test will be repeated to check for any changes.
Tell your child that the test does not hurt. Explain how the test is done and answer as many questions as you can. If your child is already taking a bronchodilator (inhaler or nebulizer) try not to use it 2 hours before the PFT. This is helpful to the test but not necessary. If your child is wheezing, coughing, or in any respiratory distress, go ahead and give the medicine as prescribed. Side effects of the bronchodilator are short lived and may include trembling and fast heartbeat.
If you have questions about why your child is being tested or the results, please ask the doctor during your visit.
We need a written request to process all medical record requests. Please include:
- your child's name
- date of birth
- where you would like the records to be sent (including the mailing address or fax number)
- the date the records are needed by
- parent or legal guardian's signature
Requests can be mailed, faxed, or hand carried to our office. Please allow 3 business days once we receive your request.
If your child needs a medication refill, please call your pharmacy. If you have additional refills left on the prescription, they can fill it for you. If they need more refills authorized, they will contact our office. If you have any problems, please call our office for assistance. Please allow 48 hours to process all refill requests.
Forms for school, camp, daycare, etc.
If you need a form completed for school, daycare, camp, etc, please mail, fax, or hand carry the form to our office. Please include where you would like to form to be sent including mailing address or fax number. Please allow 3 business days once we receive your request.
For Minneapolis & Minnetonka & St. Cloud offices, please fax to: (612) 863-3153
For St. Paul office, please fax to: (651) 220-7025
We have centralized nurse triage for all our physicians and clinic locations. A registered nurse is available to answer questions Monday-Friday during clinic hours.
Due to the volume of calls, our front office staff will first take your child's demographic information & a brief message and then pull your child's chart.
The phone nurse will return calls in the order they are received giving priority to calls regarding sick patients.
We strive to return all calls by the end of the day received.
In the evenings and on weekends & holidays, our phones roll to our answering service. The operator will take a message for our on call physician who will return your call.
How do I schedule an appointment?
We have centralized appointment scheduling for all our of physicians and clinic locations. Schedulers are available Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to assist you in scheduling future appointments. You can reach them directly at (612) 863-9207 or by choosing the scheduling option from our main office number's phone tree.
New Patients: New patient visits can be scheduled by a parent or referring clinic. Please allow 2-3 hours for your child's first visit in our office. Your visit will include a visit with one of our pediatric pulmonologists and may also include testing such as a chest x-ray and breathing test (also called a PFT). To assist in your child's care, we may also ask you to request medical records or copies of your child's x-rays.
Returning or Follow Up Patients: Follow up appointments can also be scheduled by a parent or referring clinic. Please allow 1 hour for most follow up visits. Your child may need additional testing such as a chest x-ray and/or a breathing test. We routinely schedule breathing tests (also called PFT's) for most of our patients over the age of 5.
Billing or Insurance Questions
If you have questions regarding insurance or billing, please call our Billing Office at (612) 863-8998.
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