title: Cold air challenge of airway reactivity in children: a correlation of transcutaneously measured oxygen tension and conventional lung functions.
abstract: For pharmacological challenges, a correlation between the induced changes of the transcutaneously measured oxygen tension (PtcO2) and of conventional pulmonary function tests (PFTs) has been documented. We performed a 4-minute cold air challenge (CACh) in 17 children with bronchial asthma under continuous monitoring of PtcO2, and correlated observed changes with CACh-induced alterations of conventional PFTs. PtcO2 decreased significantly with CACh (from 86 +/- 10 mmHg to 66 +/- 14 mmHg, P less than 0.001), but returned to near-baseline within the next 30 minutes. PFTs changed with a similar pattern; the closest correlation was found between the CACh-induced fall of PtcO2 and Delta-FEV1 (r = 0.833, P less than 0.001). Changes of FVC, PEF, and Vmax50 correlated significantly as well. PtcO2 can complement or substitute for conventional PFTs in assessing the response to CACh in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eber
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Zach
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000388:Air; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous / Q000379:methods*; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation / Q000502:physiology; D012119:Respiration / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors