Should complete PFTs always be done on a first visit?
This is not something I have any real influence over because the tests ordered on a patient’s first visit to the PFT lab are going to be determined by the ordering patterns of the referring p…
Month January 2013
VA versus TLC, what this can tell you about test quality
I’ve had a bug lately about lung volumes and I guess that today is no different. A report with some odd lung volume results came across my desk and I’ve spent some time trying to figure…
VA, DLCO and COPD
Although the technology used to perform the single-breath DLCO test has improved since it was first developed in the 1950’s the essential concepts and equations have not changed significantly…
Open-access on-line medical journals
I have been researching different pulmonary function topics for quite a few years. The medical libraries I’ve frequented were, of course, originally all paper-based and to be able to find an …
N2 washout drift throws another curve.
Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water, we’ve run into another N2 washout-related problem. Although it probably affects the TLC and RV calculations in a minor way, it was ac…