SUNBURY — Sunbury Community Hospital has a new tool to help you breathe easier.

The hospital’s updated pulmonary function analyzer performs tests to determine the capacity of a patient’s lungs and how well the lungs transfer oxygen and carbon dioxide to the blood stream in order to determine whether the patient has an obstructive or restrictive lung disease, said Fred Scharf, director of cardio-pulmonary services.

The $30,000 analyzer, manufactured by Vmax, meets standards set forth by the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society, Scharf said.

Though a series of tests, the analyzer will determine the nature of the patient’s lung ailment, such as asthma, emphysema, asbestosis or pulmonary fibrosis, as well as the effectiveness of treatment, Scharf said.

Spirometry, for example, is effective at diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, Scharf said, tracking the progression of the disease and managing medication.

Tests using the pulmonary function analyzer would measure the amount of air a patient can expel after taking in the deepest possible breath.

The pulmonary function analyzer is used on combination with a computer program that has a predicted set of values built into it regarding how a patient of a certain age, height, weight, etc., should be able to perform.

If the patient performs at less than 80 percent of the computer’s prediction, some sort of diagnosis would be in order, Scharf said.

According to the American Lung Association:

n Lung disease is the No. 3 killer, behind heart disease and cancer, in the United States, responsible for one in six deaths.

n The lung disease death rate has been continuously increasing while death rates due to other leading causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke have been declining.

n More than 35 million Americans have chronic lung diseases.

n Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema and chronic bronchitis), the most common obstructive lung diseases, are associated with substantial health impairment and work disability.