[Respiratory resistance measured by interrupter technique in asthmatic children. Correlation with spirometry]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Respiratory Physiology

Background:

• Respiratory resistance measured by the interrupter technique (Rocc) is a valuable tool for assessing lung function in young children due to its minimal requirements for cooperation and coordination.
• The Rocc technique is feasible for children under five, those with acute asthma, and utilizes a simple, portable, and cost-effective device.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the correlation between Rocc and standard spirometry parameters in cooperative children diagnosed with asthma.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-four children with asthma, aged 4-18 years, underwent spirometry, measuring forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flow in 1 second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and maximal expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity (MEF50).
• Respiratory resistance was measured using the interrupter technique (Rocc) during normal breathing with a nose clip and slight neck extension, with the mean of five consistent values evaluated.
• Pearson correlation coefficients were used to analyze the relationship between Rocc and spirometric parameters.

Main Results:

• Rocc demonstrated strong correlations with all spirometric parameters evaluated.
• Specifically, Rocc showed significant correlations with FVC (r = -0.81; p < 0.05), FEV1 (r = -0.79; p < 0.05), PEF (r = -0.76; p < 0.05), and MEF50 (r = -0.76; p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Respiratory resistance measured by the interrupter technique (Rocc) is highly correlated with key spirometric parameters in children with asthma.
• Rocc serves as a viable substitute for spirometry in pediatric populations, particularly for young children who cannot perform forced expiratory maneuvers effectively.