Breathing difficulty

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Emphysema

Lungs

(Page 2)

The physical examination will include a thorough check of your lungs, heart, and upper airway passages.

Tests that may be performed include the following:

• Blood oxygen saturation (pulse oximetry)
• Blood tests (may include arterial blood gases)
• Chest x-ray
• CT scan of the chest
• ECG
• Echocardiogram
• Exercise testing
• Pulmonary function tests

If the breathing difficulty is severe, you may need to go to a hospital. You may receive many different medications to treat the cause of breathing difficulty.

If your blood oxygen level is very low, you may need to receive oxygen. High doses of supplemental oxygen may be hazardous for some patients, however. Oxygen is not always needed for shortness of breath.

Review Date: 05/25/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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