LUNG FUNCTION PRACTICAL: THE SPIROMETRY REPORT

THE SPIROMETRY REPORT:



A typical spirometry report is a document which sets out, in a standard format, information gathered about a patient whose lung function has been investigated. It consists of an identifier showing the institution which performed the test, patient information, the "loop" (flow-volume curves), and a table showing the various flow-volume rates.
The Identifier:

The Loop:
  Performing the test: At least 3 but no more than 8 attempts.
  1. Acceptability:
    • Crisp start.
    • Early peak.
    • Smooth downslope.
    • Trace ends almost horizontal.

  2. Reproducibility:
    • At least 3 acceptable traces with 2 reproducible efforts.
The Data:

The Tabulated Report:

Relevant information are tabulated as follows:

  Pre-B.D. Post-B.D. % Predicted % Change
FEV1        
FVC        
FEV1/FVC (%)        

(NOTE: B.D. stands for bronchodilator, which is only used if airways obstruction is suspected.)

Here is a useful example of report form for recording information from the spirogram for clinical or research purposes.

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Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Health (DOH) - Modules 3 – 5: Occupational Medicine & Toxicology by Prof Rodney Ehrlich & Prof Mohamed Jeebhay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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