Category pftblog

I used to think that spirometry and diffusion capacity tests were hard and that lung volumes were easy. That may have been true in terms of getting patients to do the tests but I’ve long sinc…

The MIP test is used to assess the strength of the inspiratory muscles and is commonly performed in patients with neuromuscular disease. Results however, are often low because the sensation involve…

The distance attained during a 6-minute walk (6MWD) has been used extensively to assess the functional capacity of patients with a variety of diseases and conditions. It is relatively easy to perfo…

The late 1800’s through the early 1900’s saw the birth and spread of amusement parks, penny arcades and nickelodeons. Although this was due in part to an increase in the number of peopl…

A writer posed an interesting question on the AARC Diagnostics forum several weeks ago and that was how to market their PFT Lab. I don’t think they got much of a response but I have been thin…

The beginning of pulmonary function testing can best be dated to 1846 when John Hutchinson invented the spirometer. Although similar devices had been used by previous scientists he turned it into a…

The Slow Vital Capacity (SVC) maneuver is usually performed as part of lung volume measurements. It is not unusual for the SVC to be larger than the FVC, particularly in patients with airway obstru…

My PFT Lab has recently been asked by several doctor’s offices and clinics to advise them on the purchase of an office spirometry system. I am not a fan of office spirometry because I think t…

Patients that have problems with oxygenation at sea level are going to have even more problems at higher elevations where the barometric pressure and oxygen partial pressure are lower. During comme…

Although the authors of the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLFI) study acknowledge the effect of height on their reference equations the range and distribution of heights in its study populations…