Spirometry and Response to Bronchodilator Studies

Abstract

Spirometry is a valuable tool for diagnosing asthma, establishing the severity, and assessing the control of asthma over time in those patients who can perform the procedure. Response to bronchodilator also helps in diagnosing the disease and assessing control. Guidelines and standards are available to help perform and interpret spirometry and response to bronchodilator tests. These guidelines come from the American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society, the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program—Expert Panel Report-3, and the American Association for Respiratory Care Clinical Practice Guidelines. The objective measurements, especially in the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁), and the FEV₁/FVC, enable proper management and provide continuing assessment to check the effectiveness of therapy and to follow the disease over time.

Keywords

spirometry bronchodilator response asthma control severity assessment pre-bronchodilator post-bronchodilator forced vital capacity FVC forced expiratory volume in the first second FEV1 flow–volume loop volume–time curve

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

McCormack

Enright

. Making the diagnosis of asthma. Respir Care. 2008;53:583-590.

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/asthgdln.pdf . Published August 28, 2007. Accessed December 24, 2011.

Miller

Hankinson

Brusasco

; American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society Task Force. Standardization of spirometry. Eur Respir J. 2005;26:319-338.

Pellegrino

Viegi

Brusasco

; American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society Task Force. Interpretative strategies for lung function tests. Eur Respir J. 2005;26:948-968.

Wang

Dockery

Wypij

Fay

Ferris

Jr . Pulmonary function between 6 and 18 years of age. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1993;15:75-88.

Global Initiative for Asthma. Global strategy for asthma management and prevention: 2010 update. http://www.ginasthma.org/pdf/GINA_Report_2010.pdf . Accessed December 24, 2011.

Kaminsky

. Spirometry and related tests. In: Ruppel

, ed. Manual of Pulmonary Function Testing. 9th ed. St Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:36-89.

American Association for Respiratory Care. AARC clinical practice guideline on spirometry. http://www.rcjournal.com/cpgs/spirupdatecpg.html . Accessed October 10, 2011.