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Novel App-Based Portable Spirometer for the Early Detection of COPD
Ching-Hsiung Lin1,2,3, Shih-Lung Cheng4,5, Hao-Chien Wang6
1Division of Chest Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 500, Taiwan.
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 30, 2021
Summary
Spirobank Smart, an app-based spirometer, effectively detects chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in outpatient settings. This tool aids early diagnosis, improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Medical Devices
- Diagnostic Tools
Background:
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant public health issue, often underdiagnosed due to limited access to spirometry.
- Spirometry is crucial for diagnosing COPD, but its availability in outpatient settings can be a barrier to early detection and treatment.
- The underutilization of spirometers leads to a substantial number of undiagnosed and untreated COPD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of Spirobank Smart, an app-based spirometer, for the early detection of COPD in at-risk individuals within outpatient clinics.
- To determine the diagnostic accuracy of Spirobank Smart compared to traditional spirometry for COPD identification.
- To assess the correlation between Spirobank Smart readings, patient demographics, and COPD risk.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study enrolled 767 individuals at risk for COPD (age ≥40, ≥10 pack-years smoking, respiratory symptoms).
- Participants underwent initial assessment using Spirobank Smart, followed by confirmatory spirometry using a diagnostic spirometer.
- COPD was confirmed by postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) < 0.70.
Main Results:
- Of 370 participants who completed confirmatory spirometry, 103 (27.8%) were diagnosed with COPD.
- Spirobank Smart demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy, with an optimal cutoff of 0.74 yielding an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.903.
- An FEV1/FVC ratio < 0.74 by Spirobank Smart (OR=58.58) and older age were significant predictors of COPD risk.
Conclusions:
- Spirobank Smart is a simple, adequate, and accurate tool for facilitating early COPD detection in outpatient settings.
- Utilizing Spirobank Smart can help overcome barriers to spirometry, enabling timely diagnosis and initiation of GOLD guideline-based therapy.
- Early diagnosis and treatment can positively impact respiratory symptoms and improve the quality of life for COPD patients.
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