New Lung Test for Infants, Toddlers Now Available

Texas Children’s Hospital is one of only a few centers in the nation to implement a groundbreaking lung test for infants that gives physicians clearer results and aids in the diagnosis and treatment of cystic fibrosis and other pediatric lung diseases.

The highly successful test gives the most accurate readings of lung function in infants and toddlers and is expected to become a national standard of care.

“Texas Children’s has performed the test on nearly 100 children, with excellent results,” said Peter Hiatt, M.D., medical director of the Infant Pulmonary Function Laboratory at Texas Children’s and associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.

“The test is painless and gives us the lung function measurements needed to make diagnoses and determine the effectiveness of various treatments.”

In lung testing, patients are asked to breathe deeply several times into a small mask, which is attached to a machine that measures lung function.

“You can’t ask an infant or small toddler to do that type of breathing test,” Hiatt said. “With the new test, we still have to sedate the child and place a mask over the face while measuring lung function; however, the new test gives us results that are similar in quality to results obtained in adult lung-function testing.

“The new test allows us to make more accurate diagnoses and potentially evaluate a variety of treatments,” he continued. “In addition, this test may be more sensitive than a chest exam or an X-ray.”

The new test equipment helps the baby take deep breaths while asleep. The lungs are inflated close to their normal capacity, then a vest that wraps around the child’s chest is rapidly pressurized to help the child blow out air maximally. Physicians monitor the pressure in the jacket and simultaneously obtain lung-capacity readings.

Texas Children’s is among a handful of centers nationwide to receive the infant pulmonary function testing machine, which was purchased by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for the hospital to evaluate.

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