Peak flowmetry - what is it?

Peak flowmetry is a procedure that is familiar to every person with lung pathologies. In order to evaluate their functional performance, it is important to understand how well the lungs work. And the correct operation of the lungs is their ability to inhale and exhale rhythmically, at the right speed. It is the speed of inspiration that is the object of study of the procedure called peak flowmetry. The indicators of the norm, the method of carrying out, and other information should be known to everyone suffering from lung diseases.

What diseases are necessary?

A portable device for peak flowmetry is necessary for all patients with bronchial asthma. Here you can draw an analogy with a portable device for measuring blood pressure, which every hypertonic should have.

By conducting regular self-examination, you can control the course of the disease, change the dosage of drugs, identify the factors in which exacerbation occurs.

How is the procedure performed?

Peak flowmetry is a simple procedure that everyone can handle.

1. First you need to calm down, restore the rhythm of breathing, take a sitting and standing position.
2. It is necessary to take a few shallow breaths and exhalations, preparing the lungs for examination.
3. The device must be picked up so that its surface is strictly parallel to the floor level.
4. A person takes a maximum breath, hugs the mouthpiece with his lips and exhales sharply and deeply.
5. After this, a gap of a couple of minutes is made, and steps 2 to 4 are repeated again.
6. Then the cycle repeats again. The maximum value obtained as a result of three exhalations must be considered as the result.

How often is an examination done?

All the necessary information regarding how often you need to measure the rate of expiration, usually the doctor gives the patient. But on average, it is recommended to do peak flowmetry twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. Sometimes you can take an additional measurement during the day, for example, if a new drug is selected.

It is important to remember that peak flowmetry must be performed at the same time. The second golden rule of conducting proper research is that it must pass before using inhalers. That is, the first measurement of the exhalation rate occurs immediately after waking up, and the second - in the evening, when more than 4 hours elapsed between the procedure and the last use of the inhaler.

Norm indicators

For such research as peak flowmetry, the norm is an extremely individual concept. A number of factors affect the rate at which a person’s lungs exhale air, for example, his age, height, and even gender.

Therefore, each patient needs to develop their own scale of normal indicators. It takes three weeks, in which a person should feel satisfactory, that is, no asthma attacks or bronchial obstruction.

1. A man makes a triple measurement of the speed of exhalation.
2. Multiplies the maximum value of the identified indicators by a factor of 0.8. For example, a peak flow meter showed a maximum value of 350 l / min. When multiplying, the result will be 280. That is, 280 l / min will be the lower limit of the "green zone" - a result that can be described as good.
3. Further, the maximum indicator, in this case 350 l / min, is multiplied by a factor of 0.5, and we get the result 175 l / min. The border between 280 l / min and 175 l / min will be considered the “yellow zone”. Such indicators indicate that the patient's condition is satisfactory, but he needs a doctor's consultation, on which the prescription will be adjusted.
4. If peak flow metering showed a value less than the lower border of the “yellow zone”, then the indicators are in the “red zone”. This is a life-threatening condition, a signal that a person needs emergency medical care.

Why is a procedure necessary?

Such a system simplifies control over your health. Where regular outpatient examinations were previously required, regular home peak flow measurement helps today. The algorithm of the procedure is so simple that it can easily be done invisibly to others.

A person can independently vary the dosage of the drugs taken so as not to burden the body with excess medications, or, on the contrary, add the dosage, preventing an attack.

Practice shows that peak flowmetry is the most reliable way to avoid exacerbations, maintain your health in a stable state, and feel good.

Procedure Diary

All information obtained during daily research should be retained. This will make it possible to assess the dynamics of the disease, the reaction of the body to certain medications. To do this, there is a peak flowmetry diary.

It can be done independently. Sometimes the diary is attached to the device. It is better to keep the diary at the bedside table, not forgetting to enter data into it every day. It must be taken with you to the doctor’s appointment to visually show the reaction to the prescribed drugs.

When the selected treatment allows you to enter a long and stable remission, you can stop measuring the rate of expiration every day. But with the slightest deterioration in well-being, it is important to immediately start using a peak flow meter, recording the data in a diary.

For children

Peak flowmetry in children is carried out in a similar way as in adults. It is important to explain to the child the importance of carrying out the procedure, to teach him to do it technically correctly, to determine and record the result.

But in order to determine how much the indicator of the device complies with the norm, it is not necessary to create a graph of “color zones” on the basis of their own maximum indicators multiplied by the coefficients if the child has a controlled type of asthma.

It is enough to know the growth of the child: for each growth there is a standard indicator of the rate of expiration of air from the lungs.

The data given are approximate, more accurate data will be provided by the attending physician. But relying on them, you can identify an alarming moment. If the peak flow meter is lower than the norm of the exhaled air speed for the desired age and height, you should immediately consult a doctor.

In order to control the indicators of controlled asthma, you need to have a notebook in which to daily write down indications with notes, which drugs the child took, what physical or emotional stress he had.

But for children with uncontrolled asthma, it is better to use the "adult" type of recording indicators in which the results are entered in the red, yellow or green sector.

Calculation of normal indicators in children

Speaking about the graph of indicators, it should be said that we should not expect that the indicators will make an even line. This is physiologically impossible, since all indicators of human life are constantly changing throughout the day - temperature, pressure, etc. This is due to the natural adaptive mechanisms of the body. In order to evaluate the “norm” of the deviation, you need to take the average value and determine the radius of the normal deviation of 20 percent.

For example, if a child has a norm of exhaled air velocity of 100 l / min, then the normal range will be from 120 to 80 l / min. Compared with the color zoning method, this gap will refer to the "green", that is, the safe zone.

In order to thus calculate the “yellow” range of readings, you need to calculate indicators in the range from 80 to 50% of the normal value. For a child with a normal expiratory flow rate, the “yellow” interval will be from 80 to 50 l / min. All indicators below 50% of the norm will fall into the red sector.

Thus, children's peak flowmetry is performed. The behavior algorithm for the survey is similar to an adult survey, but keeping a diary of indicators has a number of differences associated with the growth process of the child, and, accordingly, the volume of his lungs.

Peak flow meter

A device for measuring expiratory flow can be purchased at any pharmacy. It exists in adults and children, and it is extremely important for a child to buy a device that is appropriate for his age, and then to teach how to use it. If the child is very small, the process can be turned into a game, offering the child to blow into a tube so that the circle on the device rises higher. After the child gets used to the device, you can begin to record the results in a diary.

There are two types of construction - mechanical and electronic. Their difference, as the name implies, is that the electronic device is equipped with a small monitor, on which indicators are displayed. Such a device is more expensive, but its users often opt for a mechanical one, arguing that it is cheaper, more reliable and easy to wash.

Peak flowmetry is a necessary procedure for people suffering from lung diseases. By creating a convenient diary system for yourself, you can maintain health and improve your well-being.