Biomedical Informatics Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Biomedical Informatics - Thesis Example his study that it is sometimes necessary for more important information, such as a chest X-rays, physical examination, and health and occupational histories, to be made available in order to make a diagnosis. Lung diffusion capacity testing (DLCO) is a noninvasive test which is used to measure the movement of gases (most specifically oxygen) through the lung into the bloodstream. The single breath diffusing capacity test is the most common way to determine DLCO, whereby the subject is required to blow out as much air as he or she can so that only the residual gas is left in the lungs. Moreover, the subject is requested to take a deep breath in order to completely fill up the lungs. The subject is then requested to hold his or her breath for a very short period of time. The subject is then finally requested to exhale. The analysis of the gas that has been blown out will then be carried out in order to determine how much went into the bloodstream through the lungs (De Boer, 2010). 23 Pulmonary function tests (abbreviated PFT), which are also known as lung functions tests, are tests which are used so as to provide measures of gas exchange, lung volumes, flow rates, and respiratory muscle function. These tests determines the quantity of air that the lungs can hold, how fast air can possibly be moved in and out of the lungs, as well as the lungs’ ability to add oxygen and remove of carbon dioxide into and from the blood respectively. According to Goldman (2005) and De Boer (2010) the pulmonary function tests have the ability to diagnose diseases of the lungs, to measure how sever the lung problems are, and to monitor the treatment of the lung diseases. Since the spirometer was first developed in 1846 by Hutchinson, measurements of the dynamic volumes of the lung as well as of maximal flow rates have been employed to detect and quantify the diseases which affect the airways and lung parenchyma (White, 2004). The lung function may be determined by the use of tests