Biomaterial Database

Evaluation of a new electronic spirometer: the vitalograph "Escort" spirometer. 1994

N Wiltshire, and A H Kendrick

Respiratory Department, Bristol Royal Infirmary.

BACKGROUND The "Escort" spirometer is a lightweight, hand held spirometer employing a Fleisch pneumotachograph. Measurements of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) are obtained from a single FVC manoeuvre. Results are displayed on a small liquid crystal display, but there is no graphical display. The performance of the Escort spirometer has been compared with that of a wedge bellows spirometer (Vitalograph S model) and a Wright PEF meter. METHODS One hundred and thirteen subjects performed three FVC manoeuvres on the wedge bellows and Escort spirometers and three PEF manoeuvres on the Wright meter. The best reading for each index was recorded. In 21 of the subjects comparison of a Wright manoeuvre with an FVC manoeuvre on the Escort spirometer was performed, whilst in three subjects the effect of repeated blows was studied. RESULTS The FEV1 ranged from 0.5 to 5.4 litres, FVC from 1.05 to 6.2 litres, and PEF from 100 to 725 l/min. The mean (SD) difference for the FEV1 was -0.05 (0.15) (95% confidence interval (95% CI) -0.07 to -0.02) litres, for FVC 0.03 (0.28) (95% CI -0.02 to +0.08) litres, and for PEF 1.68 (50.6) (95% CI -7.7 to +11.1) l/min. The differences were positively correlated with the mean reading for PEF and FVC but not for FEV1. The Wright PEF manoeuvre performed on the Escort produced significantly higher PEF readings (mean difference -22.9 litres). There was no significant effect of repeated FVC manoeuvres on any of the indices. CONCLUSIONS The Escort spirometer compares extremely well with a wedge bellows spirometer for measurement of FEV1 and FVC, whilst yielding results of PEF from an FVC manoeuvre which are comparable to those obtained from a Wright meter. It can be recommended for use as a portable hand held spirometer.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010366	Peak Expiratory Flow Rate	Measurement of the maximum rate of airflow attained during a FORCED VITAL CAPACITY determination. Common abbreviations are PEFR and PFR.	Expiratory Peak Flow Rate,Flow Rate, Peak Expiratory,PEFR
D005069	Evaluation Studies as Topic	Works about studies that determine the effectiveness or value of processes, personnel, and equipment, or the material on conducting such studies.	Critique,Evaluation Indexes,Evaluation Methodology,Evaluation Report,Evaluation Research,Methodology, Evaluation,Pre-Post Tests,Qualitative Evaluation,Quantitative Evaluation,Theoretical Effectiveness,Use-Effectiveness,Critiques,Effectiveness, Theoretical,Evaluation Methodologies,Evaluation Reports,Evaluation, Qualitative,Evaluation, Quantitative,Evaluations, Qualitative,Evaluations, Quantitative,Indexes, Evaluation,Methodologies, Evaluation,Pre Post Tests,Pre-Post Test,Qualitative Evaluations,Quantitative Evaluations,Report, Evaluation,Reports, Evaluation,Research, Evaluation,Test, Pre-Post,Tests, Pre-Post,Use Effectiveness
D005541	Forced Expiratory Volume	Measure of the maximum amount of air that can be expelled in a given number of seconds during a FORCED VITAL CAPACITY determination . It is usually given as FEV followed by a subscript indicating the number of seconds over which the measurement is made, although it is sometimes given as a percentage of forced vital capacity.	Forced Vital Capacity, Timed,Timed Vital Capacity,Vital Capacity, Timed,FEVt,Capacities, Timed Vital,Capacity, Timed Vital,Expiratory Volume, Forced,Expiratory Volumes, Forced,Forced Expiratory Volumes,Timed Vital Capacities,Vital Capacities, Timed,Volume, Forced Expiratory,Volumes, Forced Expiratory
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013147	Spirometry	Measurement of volume of air inhaled or exhaled by the lung.	Spirometries
D014797	Vital Capacity	The volume of air that is exhaled by a maximal expiration following a maximal inspiration.	Forced Vital Capacity,Capacities, Forced Vital,Capacities, Vital,Capacity, Forced Vital,Capacity, Vital,Forced Vital Capacities,Vital Capacities,Vital Capacities, Forced,Vital Capacity, Forced
D015203	Reproducibility of Results	The statistical reproducibility of measurements (often in a clinical context), including the testing of instrumentation or techniques to obtain reproducible results. The concept includes reproducibility of physiological measurements, which may be used to develop rules to assess probability or prognosis, or response to a stimulus; reproducibility of occurrence of a condition; and reproducibility of experimental results.	Reliability and Validity,Reliability of Result,Reproducibility Of Result,Reproducibility of Finding,Validity of Result,Validity of Results,Face Validity,Reliability (Epidemiology),Reliability of Results,Reproducibility of Findings,Test-Retest Reliability,Validity (Epidemiology),Finding Reproducibilities,Finding Reproducibility,Of Result, Reproducibility,Of Results, Reproducibility,Reliabilities, Test-Retest,Reliability, Test-Retest,Result Reliabilities,Result Reliability,Result Validities,Result Validity,Result, Reproducibility Of,Results, Reproducibility Of,Test Retest Reliability,Validity and Reliability,Validity, Face

Related Publications

N Wiltshire, and A H Kendrick

Characteristics of the Vitalograph spirometer.

November 1969, Thorax,

N Wiltshire, and A H Kendrick

Evaluation of a new electronic spirometer.

May 1971, Anesthesiology,

N Wiltshire, and A H Kendrick

Clinical evaluation of a new electronic spirometer.

April 1973, Chest,

N Wiltshire, and A H Kendrick

Performance of Vitalograph wedge-bellows spirometer--comparison with a rolling seal spirometer.

February 1991, Clinical physics and physiological measurement : an official journal of the Hospital Physicists' Association, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Medizinische Physik and the European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics,

N Wiltshire, and A H Kendrick

Effects of temperature on Vitalograph spirometer readings.

August 1983, Thorax,

N Wiltshire, and A H Kendrick

[Application of a new electronic digital spirometer].

September 1975, Pneumonologie. Pneumonology,

N Wiltshire, and A H Kendrick

[Evaluation of the Vitalomer-1 electronic spirometer].

January 1990, Plucne bolesti : casopis Udruzenja pneumoftiziologa Jugoslavije = the journal of Yugoslav Association of Phthisiology and Pneumology,

N Wiltshire, and A H Kendrick

Measurement of FEV1 and FVC. Comparison of a pocket spirometer with the Vitalograph.

March 1988, Anaesthesia,