[Spirometry quality in preschool children]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Respiratory Medicine
• Clinical Physiology

Background:

• Spirometric maneuver quality in preschool children is limited for diagnosis and follow-up.
• Lack of consensus on quality criteria and test acceptability hinders spirometry use.
• Establishing reference norms for healthy preschool children is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To obtain reference norms for spirometry in healthy preschool children.
• To evaluate the feasibility of quality spirometric maneuvers in this age group.
• To propose suitable quality criteria for routine clinical use.

Main Methods:

• 114 healthy preschool children (3-7 years) with no prior lung function test experience were enrolled.
• Participants performed spirometric maneuvers.
• ATS/ERS criteria were used to assess maneuver quality and reproducibility.

Main Results:

• 59% of children achieved at least two acceptable and reproducible spirometric maneuvers.
• Common errors included abrupt maneuver termination and inadequate peak flow.
• 76 children completed at least two acceptable maneuvers, with 60 meeting reproducibility criteria.

Conclusions:

• Over half of preschool children can perform quality spirometric maneuvers.
• The proposed quality criteria are suitable for routine clinical application.
• Spirometry should be encouraged in specialized pediatric respiratory care.