Functional residual capacity in healthy preschool children

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of routine functional residual capacity (FRC) measurements in healthy preschool children aged 2.7-6.4 yrs. Furthermore, accuracy and reproducibility were investigated and normal values were collected. A mass-produced closed-circuit helium dilution device (rolling seal) was used. Selection of the 113 healthy children (from the 571 measured) was based on an extensive personal and family history questionnaire and on clinical examination before measurements were performed. With three successive attempts it was possible to achieve at least two reproducible measurements in 73% of the children (repeatability coefficient 95.3 mL). The main problems were leakage at the corner of the mouth and irregular breathing pattern. The mean time to perform a measurement was 113 s. Mean FRC was significantly higher in boys than in girls: 778 versus 739 mL for a body length of 110 cm (p<0.05). FRC correlated with height (H) (r=0.69), weight (W) (r=0.56), age (A) (r=0.62) and all three combined (r=0.70): FRC = -534.89 + 1.84 x W (kg) + 10.07 x H (cm) + 2.51 x A (months). When a power or exponential function was used to describe FRC as a function of height, the results were not superior to the linear regression (r=0.69): FRC (mL) = -766.2 + 13.8 x H (cm) (r=0.69) or FRC (L) = 0.620 x H (m)(2.03) (r=0.69) or FRC (mL)= 99.5 x e(0.018xH (cm)) (r=0.69). Among these, we recommend the power function because it will better fit broader height ranges. Reliable functional residual capacity measurements can be routinely performed in preschool children with a mass-produced device. Reference values were collected for children 95-125 cm in height.