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Evaluation of two spirometers and two flowmeters in asthmatic children
Insights
Simple spirometers accurately measured lung function in children with subclinical asthma. These pulmonary function tests provide valuable data for guiding aggressive asthma therapy.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Medical Device Evaluation
Background:
- Asthma management in children requires reliable pulmonary function assessment.
- Subclinical asthma presents diagnostic challenges.
- Evaluating the accuracy of common spirometry devices is crucial for clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the reliability and sensitivity of Monaghan (M 403) and Vitalograph spirometers in children with subclinical asthma.
- To compare the performance of these devices against a standard spirometer (Bernstein).
- To evaluate the utility of simple spirometry and flowmeters in assessing bronchial obstruction and guiding therapy.
Main Methods:
- 46 children with subclinical asthma underwent spirometry using Monaghan (M 403) and Vitalograph devices.
- Vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1.0) were measured.
- Sensitivity of spirometers and Wright's peak flow meter/Airflometer-Glaxo was assessed post-salbutamol inhalation, comparing changes to healthy children's data.
Main Results:
- Monaghan and Vitalograph spirometers demonstrated reliability comparable to the Bernstein spirometer for VC and FEV1.0 measurements in children.
- Simple spirometry equipment provided significant information regarding the degree of bronchial obstruction.
- Post-bronchodilator measurements showed changes that were comparable to previous studies in healthy children.
Conclusions:
- Monaghan and Vitalograph spirometers are reliable tools for assessing lung function in children with subclinical asthma.
- Simple pulmonary function tests offer valuable insights into bronchial obstruction.
- The data from these tests support an aggressive therapeutic approach for pediatric asthma.
Abstract:
The reliability of a Monaghan (M 403) spirometer and a Vitalograph spirometer was evaluated in 46 children with "subclinical" asthma. As in previous studies of healthy children the vital capacity (VC) and the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1.0) were close to those of a Bernstein spirometer. The sensitivity of the spirometers and of two flowmeters (Wright's peak flow meter and Airflometer-Glaxo) was evaluated in the asthmatic children after inhalation of salbutamol and the changes after inhalation were compared to those obtained in a previous study of healthy children. The "simple" equipment gave substantial information about the degree of bronchial obstruction. It is concluded that the additional information obtained by using simple pulmonary function tests form a good basis for aggressive therapy.