Assessing changes in DLCO
We have a number of patients who have spirometry and DLCO testing performed at regular intervals. I’ve noticed that every so often DLCO results change significantly without a change in…
We have a number of patients who have spirometry and DLCO testing performed at regular intervals. I’ve noticed that every…
15 May 2016 May 15, 2016 by Richard Johnston • Leave a comment
It doesn’t make any sense
For a variety of reasons my wife recently had a full panel of PFTs (spiro+BD, lung volumes, DLCO) at a different hospital than the one I work at. I went…
For a variety of reasons my wife recently had a full panel of PFTs (spiro+BD, lung volumes, DLCO) at a…
8 May 2016 May 8, 2016 by Richard Johnston • Leave a comment
Ventilatory Challenge Testing
Airway hyper-responsiveness is a primary feature of asthma. There are a number of bronchial challenge tests designed to evoke and measure this factor, the most common of which require the…
Airway hyper-responsiveness is a primary feature of asthma. There are a number of bronchial challenge tests designed to evoke and…
4 May 2016 May 4, 2016 by Richard Johnston • Leave a comment
Airway obstruction and the FVC
Spirometry is the most commonly performed (and mis-performed) pulmonary function test around the world. The apparent simplicity of spirometry is misleading since there are numerous subtleties that …
Spirometry is the most commonly performed (and mis-performed) pulmonary function test around the world. The apparent simplicity of spirometry is…
17 Apr 2016 April 17, 2016 by Richard Johnston • Leave a comment
LLN versus 80%
Recently a rather eminent reader commented on an older blog entry. He finished his comment with a paragraph on another topic, however. Specifically: By the way, it is also high…
Recently a rather eminent reader commented on an older blog entry. He finished his comment with a paragraph on another…
10 Apr 2016 April 10, 2016 by Richard Johnston • Leave a comment
State Licensure requirements for PFT Testing
There has been a fair amount of confusion about PFT lab staff licensure requirements. This information is not available on the AARC website, nor on any of the AARC state…
There has been a fair amount of confusion about PFT lab staff licensure requirements. This information is not available on…
3 Apr 2016 April 3, 2016 by Richard Johnston • Leave a comment
Short efforts, gas trapping and leaks
Outside the pulmonary lab there is this notion that spirometry is supposed to be so easy that anyone can do it. You just tell the patient to take a deep…
Outside the pulmonary lab there is this notion that spirometry is supposed to be so easy that anyone can do…
20 Mar 2016 March 20, 2016 by Richard Johnston • Leave a comment
FVC measurements that are mostly gone but not completely forgotten
When Tiffeneau described the FEV1 in 1947 and Gaensler the timed FVC and FEV1/FVC ratio in 1950 this opened up an entirely new territory for pulmonary investigators to explore. Numerous…
When Tiffeneau described the FEV1 in 1947 and Gaensler the timed FVC and FEV1/FVC ratio in 1950 this opened up…
13 Mar 2016 March 13, 2016 by Richard Johnston • Leave a comment
An FVC is not an SVC
I’ve discussed the issue of inserting a predicted FVC into the predicted lung volumes several times now. At the risk of beating this issue to death I’d like to put…
I’ve discussed the issue of inserting a predicted FVC into the predicted lung volumes several times now. At the risk…
6 Mar 2016 March 6, 2016 by Richard Johnston • Leave a comment
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