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A cleaning and calibration method for the SpiroPro portable spirometer's pneumotachometer tube in a remote field
Matthew R Baldwin1, William Checkley, Robert A Wise
1Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Background:
We developed a systematic method of cleaning and calibration-checking for the pneumotachometer tube of the SpiroPro portable spirometer; this method maximized spirometry accuracy in a population-based study in a remote area of Nepal.
Methods:
We tested 10 factory-calibrated pneumotachometer tubes. Each use consisted of a full set of spirometry maneuvers, per the American Thoracic Society (ATS) spirometry criteria.
Results:
The pneumotachometers remained accurate, per the ATS criteria, for 5-9 disinfections, but began to drift toward inaccuracy after the first disinfection. All the pneumotachometers had become inaccurate, per the ATS criteria, after 10 disinfections.
Conclusions:
In a remote field setting the SpiroPro pneumotachometer tube can be cleaned and reused 5-9 times before it becomes inaccurate per the ATS criteria. Rigorous rinsing in distilled water and repeated calibration checks, at various flows up to 12 L/s, are essential for precise and accurate spirometry with the SpiroPro. Reusing the SpiroPro pneumotachometer in a remote setting may impose measurement bias. Single use of SpiroPro pneumotachometers, albeit more costly, will provide better data.
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