Evaluation of three spirometers on healthy children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Medical Device Evaluation
• Respiratory Physiology

Background:

• Spirometry is crucial for assessing lung function in children.
• Accurate spirometer calibration and comparison are essential for reliable clinical data.
• Various spirometer technologies exist, necessitating performance validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the accuracy of two electronic spirometers (Dräger Spirotron, Monaghan M403) and a wedge bellows spirometer (Vitalograph) against a Bernstein spirometer in healthy children.
• To evaluate the agreement of vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1.0) measurements.
• To assess the reliability of peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) measurements from electronic spirometers compared to a Wright peak flow meter.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 61 healthy children (30 girls, 31 boys) underwent spirometry testing.
• Measurements of VC and FEV1.0 were compared using regression analysis against body height cubed.
• Paired difference analysis was performed to quantify measurement discrepancies.
• PEFR was measured using electronic devices and a Wright peak flow meter for comparison.

Main Results:

• Regression lines for VC and FEV1.0 showed high correlation coefficients and similar standard deviation values across all tested spirometers relative to body height.
• Slight differences in mean values were observed through paired difference analysis, with standard deviations for VC ranging from 4.6% to 6.6% and for FEV1.0 from 4.8% to 6.2%.
• PEFR values from the Dräger Spirotron and Monaghan M403 significantly deviated from those obtained by the Wright peak flow meter.

Conclusions:

• Electronic and wedge bellows spirometers demonstrate good agreement with a standard for measuring VC and FEV1.0 in children.
• The accuracy of PEFR measurement varies significantly between different electronic spirometer models and a standard peak flow meter.
• Careful selection of spirometry equipment is necessary, particularly for PEFR assessment, to ensure reliable pediatric respiratory function data.