Month November 2014

I was reviewing a pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry report that showed a relatively large increase in FVC but the change in FEV1 was not significant. It’s not impossible for a patient t…

The current ATS/ERS guidelines require that an individual have a post-bronchodilator increase in FEV1 or FVC of at least 12% and 200 ml in order for it to be considered a significant response. Nume…

Patients with COPD often have a ventilatory limitation as their primary limitation to exercise. A ventilatory limitation to exercise has traditionally been assessed by the breathing index or the br…

I was about to put a PFT report I’d been reviewing in my outbox when I noticed something odd about the flow-volume loop. What I saw was that the final inspiration of the FVC maneuver had ende…