Pulmonary function testing can be resumed with some safety precautions against the risk of COVID-19 transmission, professional organisations have advised.

After suspending all but clinically essential testing in March due to the pandemic, the Thoracic Society Australia & New Zealand (TSANZ) and the Australia New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science (ANZSRS) have now updated their recommendations to allow testing to be resumed with additional safety requirements.

They advise that all pulmonary function testing including cardiopulmonary exercise testing and bronchoprovocation testing can now be performed in patients who are afebrile, and who have no symptoms of a viral illness.

Body temperature should be measured in all patients prior to testing to ensure they are afebrile, and testing should not be performed in patients who are febrile, or who have an escalating acute respiratory condition.

The new guidance also recommends that testing only be performed with equipment that uses in-line bio-filters (bacterial/viral).

TSANZ says the updated advice is in line with recent Federal government advice on the resumption of elective medical procedures, and the recommendations will be subject to ongoing review.