title: Spirometry interpretation feasibility among pre-school children according to the European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society Guidelines
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spirometry is the most used test to evaluate pulmonary function. Guidelines that defined acceptability and repeatability criteria for its implementation and interpretation among preschoolers were published in 2007. Our objective was to quantify the actual compliance with these criteria among pre-school patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A review was performed on the baseline spirometry measured in patients aged 2 to 5 years in the Pediatric Respiratory Laboratory of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, who were admitted due to recurrent or persistent coughing or wheezing. Only those results obtained in patients who took the test for the first time were considered. They were analyzed by international standards.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 93 spirometry results (mean age 57.4 ± 8.6 months, 48 males) were obtained, of which 44 (47%) met all acceptable criteria, 87 (93%) obtained expiratory time of ≥ 0.5seconds, and 67 (72%) of the patients had an end-expiratory flow of ≤10% from peak flow. The variation in the measurement of forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was very low (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was possible to meet the acceptability and repeatability criteria for spirometry among pre-school children in our Center, which was similar to previous reports. As in older children, this test is fully recommended for pre-school children who require lung function studies.
authors.affiliation: Médico Cirujano, CESFAM San Alberto Hurtado, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Roberto M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Donaire
authors.affiliation: Kinesiólogo, CESFAM Las Américas, Talca.
authors.forename: Scarlett A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Enfermera Universitaria, División Pediatría, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
authors.forename: Ana I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Moya
authors.affiliation: Técnico Superior en Enfermería, División Pediatría, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
authors.forename: Laura T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Fierro
authors.affiliation: Especialista en Enfermedades Respiratorias Pediátricas, División Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
authors.forename: Pablo V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Brockmann
authors.affiliation: Especialista en Enfermedades Respiratorias Pediátricas, División Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Electronic address: solangecaussade@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Solange L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Caussade
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D013147:Spirometry / Q000379:methods*; D014797:Vital Capacity
keywords: Espirometría; Lung Function; Pre-School Children; Pulmonary Function Tests; Spirometry; función pulmonar; preescolar; pruebas de función respiratoria