Respiratory physiology at UCLH
The respiratory physiology team at UCLH is an integral part of the department of thoracic medicine. We provide diagnostics, treatment, and monitoring to support the understanding and management of patients with conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung disease, neuromuscular conditions, and sleep‑disordered breathing.
The team delivers a wide range of physiological tests in both outpatient and inpatient settings across the Trust, working across sites at University College Hospital (UCH) and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN) in Queen Square.
Services provided
The respiratory physiology team provides a combined respiratory and sleep service to deliver efficient and collaborative care.
The team offers a range of routine and specialist lung function tests, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Tests (CPET), inpatient and domiciliary sleep studies, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) initiation and monitoring, and acute and domiciliary non-invasive ventilation (NIV).
At the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, the team supports inpatient admissions to the Neuromuscular Complex Care Centre (NMCCC) for multidisciplinary reviews, providing lung function and sleep study diagnostics as well as NIV support. The lung function laboratory accommodates specialist outpatient testing for our neuromuscular and neurology patient cohorts, including a dedicated respiratory muscle testing platform.
Routine lung function tests
You may be referred by your clinician for a routine lung function test when presenting with symptoms such as breathlessness or chronic cough. These consist of a range of tests such as:
- Spirometry – a measurement of maximal exhalation and how powerfully you can blow out.
- Transfer Factor – a measurement of how efficient gaseous exchange is across the lung tissue and within the alveoli.
- Static Lung Volumes – a measurement of total lung capacity.
You may also undergo further routine tests such as testing for a response to inhaled medication (bronchodilator reversibility) or measuring airway inflammation (FeNO).
The tests are volitional, requiring patient effort and multiple attempts to achieve good quality and reliable results. Patients may feel dizzy and lightheaded during these due to the maximal effort required however, these potential side effects subside quickly. Most lung function tests are non-invasive and painless.
As part of the Unexplained Breathlessness Service, the Respiratory Physiology team perform and report on CPETs. This is a diagnostic test that evaluates how the heart, lungs and muscles respond to maximal exercise. The patient is asked to cycle maximally on a stationary bike whilst cardiac, respiratory, ventilation and metabolic parameters are measured via a mask, ECG, blood pressure cuff and blood gas measurements. Alongside physiotherapy input, the test allows for a holistic assessment for the cause of a patient’s breathlessness.
The respiratory physiology team provide a dedicated sleep service for UCLH’s respiratory cohort. Patients are referred for domiciliary or inpatient sleep studies to investigate suspected sleep disordered breathing. Following the results of the sleep study, a patient may be set up on a form of ventilation therapy.
With the results of a sleep study, a patient may be diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). This is when you experience pauses in your breathing during sleep and may report symptoms such as sleepiness and loud snoring to your clinician. CPAP is the gold standard treatment for OSA and supports breathing by delivering pressurised air through a mask to stent your airway open. Our team initiate patients on CPAP therapy and routinely review and monitor their treatment (remotely or face-to-face).
NIV provides further ventilation support to aid in normalising patient’s blood carbon dioxide and oxygen levels. This form of therapy is particularly useful for those with respiratory failure or respiratory muscle weakness as it provides bi-level breathing support. The Respiratory Physiology team provide both long-term and acute NIV care and support alongside Consultant input.
Our department offers and facilitates further tests that may not be as common however useful in aiding diagnoses and treatment. Examples of these are:
- Respiratory Muscle Function Test
- Maximal Inspiratory and Expiratory Pressures (MIP/MEP)
- Sniff Nasal Inspiratory Pressure (SNIP)
- Supine Spirometry
- Capillary Blood Gas
- Six Minute Walk Test
- Hypoxic Challenge Test (Fitness-to-Fly)
- Bronchial Challenge Test (Mannitol)
- Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT)
The lung function laboratory at UCLH is situated on the first floor podium at University College Hospital within the outpatients department, in Clinic E, and can be reached either by stairs or by lift.
Please contact the respiratory physiology as soon as possible so that we can offer your appointment to another patient and schedule you an alternative appointment. Our administration team will be the first line of contact for any appointment related queries.
General enquiries
Other contact information
Fax: 020 3447 9242
Other referral information
All requests for respiratory physiology tests are made from within the UCLH, either from outpatient clinics or from physicians looking after inpatients.
We do not accept direct external referrals.