Resting metabolic test.

METABOLIC TESTING is the measurement of O2 (oxygen) consumption and CO2 (carbon dioxide) production to determine a patient’s nutritional requirements and metabolic status. Metabolic testing has become an important tool as clinicians discover the impact of nutrition on physiological outcomes. A metabolic test can accurately measure the body's caloric need at complete rest. With this information, your medical provider can mathematically determine exact needs for the intact of calories in varying physiologic situations, such as weight gain and loss or with demands of exercise.

No. Your child will be requested to lay very still for approximately 30 minutes. A see-through canopy will be placed over your child’s head and asked to breath quietly.

In general, the doctor referring you for the test will already have arranged for authorization for your test by your insurance company. But it is your responsibility to have authorization before the test. Be sure to talk to with the pulmonary office and confirm that the authorization is completed.

Register for the test at the hospital registration area 15 minutes before the test is scheduled.

For Children’s Hospital Oakland, go to the PFT Laboratory, room #304, at 3rd Floor of Main Hospital, 747 52nd St., Oakland, CA.

The test itself will take about 1 hour. However, when you add parking, registration and instruction time, you should allow 1.5 hours for the entire test.

Normal comfortable clothing.

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, continue taking all daily medicines.

It is very important that the patient NOT eat anything after midnight the night before the test. It is ok to drink water after midnight, but NO water (or food) the 4 hours before the scheduled test time.

No.

No.

This test is usually used to measure how you are doing on a regular day. If you are sick, the test will need to be cancelled—unless your doctor says you should still do the test. Please call the lab as soon as you think you will not be able to do the test. We will need to reschedule the test.

Notify the Pulmonary Function Lab (CHO 510-428-3311) ASAP. If your child needs to have the test cancelled or rescheduled, we need to know ASAP so that we can allow another child to get tested.

A copy of the results will be sent to your regular doctor and any specialist who referred you for the test. Your doctors should have the results of the test within 2 weeks of the test.

You can obtain results of your child’s test via email. Visiting the Secure Message Center at this website will provide step-by-step directions for establishing private and secure email connection with our medical group.

Your doctor needs to take into account the results of the tests and other information about your child’s condition. You should discuss the results of the tests with your doctor.

This will be up to you and your doctor.