New Equipment at Upland Hills Health Makes Asthma Diagnoses more Efficient

Asthma diagnosis at Upland Hills Health is much more efficient, thanks to new equipment in the Pulmonary Function Lab.

The new asthma testing equipment at Upland Hills Health, called Niox, diagnoses asthma by measuring a patient’s exhaled amounts of nitric oxide, a byproduct of the airway inflammation that occurs with asthma. Patients simply exhale steadily into a tube and nitric oxide levels are recorded--elevated levels indicate asthma.

This technology provides a diagnosis in about 10-15 minutes, while traditional exhale tests, which measure lung capacity, take 90 minutes to 2 hours. Asthma diagnoses this efficient are rare at rural hospitals—in fact, Upland Hills Health is the only rural hospital in the region to offer Niox technology.

Asthma affects 20 million people in the United States, 9 million of them children. This chronic condition includes airway constriction and inflammation, causing breathing difficulties, and can be life-threatening if not properly controlled.