Comparison of a new desktop spirometer (Spirospec) with a laboratory spirometer in a respiratory out-patient clinic.
BACKGROUND
The performance of spirometers is often evaluated under ideal conditions with computer-generated waveforms or in vivo testing with healthy subjects. Real-life conditions are less ideal because of comorbidities, age of the subjects, and a variety of air flow limitations. Evaluation of new spirometry equipment can also be performed under these less favorable conditions. The Spirospec is a new desktop spirometer that is commercially available, but its accuracy has not been evaluated in a clinical setting.


OBJECTIVE
Test the Spirospec with subjects with normal and pathologic pulmonary function.


METHODS
A group of 45 patients (mean age 38.4 years, 27 male) booked for evaluation in the pulmonary function laboratory of a tertiary care university hospital were tested with both a Spirospec and a standard Jaeger Masterlab 4.0 spirometer, according to the guidelines of the American Thoracic Society. Three subgroups (normal spirometry, obstructive air flow limitation, and restrictive air flow limitation) of 15 consecutive subjects each underwent spirometry.


RESULTS
Pulmonary function measurements from the Spirospec correlated closely (r = 0.95-0.99) with those from the Masterlab 4.0, showing good limits of agreement and differences between the 2 devices: forced vital capacity 0.03 L, forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV(1)) -0.01 L, peak expiratory flow -0.41 L/s, peak inspiratory flow 0.43 L/s, forced expiratory flow at 50% of total lung capacity 0.13 L/s, and forced expiratory flow at 75% of total lung capacity 0.12 L/s. With the exception of forced vital capacity and FEV(1), these differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The Spirospec is comparable to the Masterlab 4.0, with high accuracy for FEV(1) and forced vital capacity and clinically acceptable differences in the measured flow variables.
Swart
François
F
Pulmonary Function Laboratory, Tygerberg Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Stellenbosch, Francie van Zijl Drive, 7505 Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
Schuurmans
Macé M
MM
Heydenreich
Johannes C
JC
Pieper
Clarissa H
CH
Bolliger
Chris T
CT
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D013147:Spirometry / Q000295:instrumentation*