Diagnosis | Chronic Bronchitis

During your appointment, the doctor will listen to your breathing with a stethoscope to determine if there are any abnormal sounds. He or she will also ask you to explain your symptoms. Your doctor may ask you if you are coughing up mucus or having trouble breathing. It is important that you tell your doctor if you smoke, and if you do, be sure to explain how often you smoke, how many cigarettes you smoke a day, and how many years you have been smoking.

Your doctor may also choose to perform a number of tests to aid in making a diagnosis. The tests may include:

• Pulmonary Function Test (PFT)
  You will be asked to breathe into a machine that will measure how fast you can exhale and how much air is in your lungs.
  
  
• Blood Tests
  
  
• Chest X-rays
  
  
• Pulse Oximetry
  A small device will be clipped on your finger. The clip will use your pulse to measure how much oxygen you have in your lungs.
  
  
• Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) Test
  This test measures the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your blood to determine how well your lungs are working. A technician will draw your blood from an artery, usually in your wrist, so that the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels can be measured before they enter body tissues and change.
  
  
• Sputum Samples
  A sample of your sputum (what you are coughing up) will be sent to a laboratory where the sample will be analyzed for signs of infection, blood, or abnormal cells.