Spirometry in Spanish

What it means

Spirometry is a lung function test that measures airflow: a spirometry test measures how much air you breathe out and how fast you can blow air out of your lungs. By measuring how much air you exhale, and how quickly, it can evaluate a broad range of lung diseases. For the test you sit on a chair with a soft clip on your nose and place your lips tightly around a mouthpiece connected to a device called a spirometer. You are told to take a deep breath in and then blow it out into the mouthpiece as hard as you can. People who use inhaler medicines (bronchodilators) may need to stop for a period of time before testing, and the provider tells them when to stop. Some people may feel lightheaded from breathing hard.

Spanish term: Espirometría
Gender and article: feminine: la espirometría
Pronunciation: ehs-pee-roh-meh-TREE-ah

Espirometría is a feminine noun; the Spanish dictionary labels it a medical term and defines it as the measurement of the breathing capacity of the lungs, capacidad respiratoria. MedlinePlus en español uses it with an article, una espirometría, and also writes una prueba de espirometría. Its encyclopedia article on lung function tests, Pruebas de la función pulmonar, lists Espirometría and Espirograma among its alternative names.

The device is el espirómetro, and the mouthpiece you breathe into is la boquilla. For the nose clip, the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia says pinzas nasales, and the lab test page says una pinza suave en la nariz and also clip. Other words from those pages: exhalar (to breathe out), inspirar profundamente (to take a deep breath), soplar (to blow), and medicamentos con inhalador (broncodilatadores) for inhaler medicines.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	Today we are going to do a spirometry test to measure how much air you breathe out.	Hoy le vamos a hacer una espirometría para medir cuánto aire exhala.
Patient	What do I have to do during the test?	¿Qué tengo que hacer durante la prueba?
Clinician	I will put a soft clip on your nose so that you breathe only through your mouth.	Le voy a colocar una pinza suave en la nariz para que respire solo por la boca.
Clinician	Place your lips tightly around the mouthpiece.	Coloque los labios bien cerrados alrededor de la boquilla.
Clinician	Take a deep breath in and then blow out as hard as you can.	Inspire profundamente y luego sople tan fuerte como pueda.
Patient	I feel a little lightheaded after blowing.	Siento un poco de mareo después de soplar.
Patient	I used my inhaler this morning. Is that a problem for the test?	Usé mi inhalador esta mañana. ¿Es un problema para la prueba?
Patient	When will I get the results?	¿Cuándo me darán los resultados?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Spirometry
Spanish (Español)	Espirometría
Chinese (中文)	肺功能測試（肺活量測定）
Korean (한국어)	폐활량 측정 (스파이로메트리)
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Đo chức năng hô hấp (spirometry)
Filipino (Tagalog)	Spirometry
Portuguese (Português)	Espirometria
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	การตรวจสมรรถภาพปอด (Spirometry)
Japanese (日本語)	スパイロメトリー（肺機能検査）

Where you'll see it

chartpulmonary reportEOBbillreferral

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Lungs and breathing

All terms in this area: Lungs and breathing — Pulmones y respiración

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.