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17 Feb 20

Spirometry, Yes please!

Spirometry is a simple test which is used to measure the air that each individual can breathe. It is the check-up of the proper functioning of the lungs, which everyone should do regularly, like getting maintenance done on a car. It is considered a vital sign like the heart rate, the body temperature, the blood pressure and the respiratory rate.

Abstract:

Spirometry, a simple but fundamental test
The subject must inhale deeply and immediately exhale as fast as possible into the mouthpiece of a small instrument, called a spirometer. He/she must employ the same kind of effort used to blow out the candles of a birthday cake.

The flow/volume curve = everybody’s digital impression of the lungs
The test results in a particular "sail-like" curve named Flow / Volume curve that plots the velocity of exhalation against the volume of exhaled air. This curve is compared with a theoretical normality curve obtained from the values measured in a population of healthy subjects with equal height, weight, ethnicity, gender and age. Consequently, the flow-volume curve is like a unique "fingerprint" of the lungs for each subject that provides a simple, accurate and highly predictive actual and "future" assessment of our lung function.

The lung age tells us how "aged" the lungs of a subject are
The test also provides simple measurements which, compared with the theoretical normality of a population with the same characteristics, indicate the "lung age" of a subject. The lung age is a way of making the spirometry results more comprehensible, by indicating the "age" level of the lungs in relation to an individual’s age. Put simply, in a healthy subject, the lung age corresponds to the true age. On the other hand, in a person exposed to risk factors or already with lung diseases, the lung age will be that much higher than the true age, the more compromised the lungs are.

Related product

Spirolab

All-in-one desktop spirometer

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