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MAKING SENSE of
Lung Function Tests
Second edition
A hands-on guide
MAKING SENSE of
Lung Function Tests
Second edition
A hands-on guide
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Ἱπποκράτης
Hippocrates
Contents
Preface xv
Acknowledgement xv
Abbreviations xvii
1 Expressions of normality 1
vii
viii Contents
FVC versus VC 23
Patterns of abnormality 23
Obstructive spirometry 23
Restrictive spirometry 25
Reduction of FEV1 and FVC 27
Mixed obstructive/restrictive defect 27
Non-specific ventilatory defect 28
Large airways obstruction 29
Fixed upper airway obstruction 29
Variable extrathoracic obstruction 29
Variable intrathoracic obstruction 31
Clinical pearls 31
4 Airway responsiveness 35
Introduction 35
Test physiology 35
Test descriptions 36
Reversibility 36
Challenge testing 37
Interpretation of results 37
Reversibility 37
Challenge testing 38
5 Fractional concentration of expired nitric oxide 41
Introduction 41
Test description/technique 41
Physiology of test 42
Normal values and interpretation 43
Specific considerations 44
6 Gas transfer 45
Introduction 45
Measured indices/key definitions 45
Alveolar volume 46
K CO 46
Test description 47
Physiology of gas exchange 48
Normal values 48
Patterns of abnormality 49
Incomplete lung expansion 49
Discrete loss of lung units 51
Diffuse loss of lung units 52
Contents ix
Pulmonary emphysema 52
Pulmonary vascular disease 53
Causes of increased gas transfer 54
Clinical pearls 54
Interstitial lung disease 54
Obstructive disease 55
Acute disease 56
7 Static lung volumes and lung volume subdivisions 57
Introduction 57
Measured indices/key definitions 57
Test descriptions/techniques 59
Helium dilution 59
Nitrogen washout 61
Whole-body plethysmography 61
Comparison of methods 63
Physiology of lung volumes 64
Total lung capacity 64
Residual volume 64
Functional residual capacity 64
Closing capacity 65
Normal values 65
Patterns of abnormality 66
Relationship between VC and TLC 67
Obstructive lung disease 67
Interstitial lung disease 67
Miscellaneous 68
Specific considerations 68
Anaesthesia 68
FRC in patients receiving ventilatory support: PEEP
and CPAP 68
Clinical pearls 70
8 Airway resistance 73
Introduction 73
Physiology of airway resistance tests 74
Plethysmography technique 75
Test description/technique 75
Measured indices/key definitions 76
Normal values 76
Patterns of abnormality 76
x Contents
Oscillometry techniques 79
Test description/technique 79
Measured indices/key definitions 79
Normal values 82
Patterns of abnormality 82
Assessment of severity 84
Specific and clinical considerations 84
9 Respiratory muscle strength 87
Introduction 87
Test descriptions/techniques 87
Upright and supine vital capacity 87
Static lung volumes 90
Maximal expiratory pressure 90
Maximal inspiratory pressure 90
Sniff nasal inspiratory pressure 90
Sniff trans-diaphragmatic pressure 91
Direct electromagnetic phrenic nerve stimulation 91
Cough peak flow 91
Arterial blood gases 92
Radiological assessment of muscle strength 92
Clinical interpretation of tests of muscle strength 93
Forced vital capacity 93
Sniff nasal inspiratory pressure 94
MIP and MEP 94
The twitch PDI 95
Sleep, ventilatory failure, and VC 95
Clinical pearls 99
Exhaustion 111
Increased CO2 production 112
Causes of low PCO2 112
Hypoxaemia 112
Metabolic acidosis 112
Central nervous system disorders 112
Drugs 112
Anxiety 113
Clinical pearls 113
11 Assessment of haemoglobin saturation 115
Introduction 115
Measured indices 115
Measurement of oxygen saturation 116
Pulse oximetry 117
Waveform 117
Accuracy 118
Specific sources of error 119
Pros and cons of pulse oximetry 120
Physiology – oxygen dissociation curve 120
What determines the amount of oxygen carried in
blood? 121
Normal values 122
Carbon monoxide poisoning 122
Clinical pearls 123
12 Assessment of oxygenation 125
Introduction 125
Normal values 125
Measurement of PaO2 125
Measurement of arterialised capillary PO2 126
The oxygen cascade 127
Humidification of dry air 128
Alveolar gas 128
Arterial blood 129
A–a partial pressure PO2 difference 129
Tissue 132
Relationship between alveolar PO2 and arterial PCO2 132
Clinical pearls 133
Specific clinical considerations 133
Hypoxaemia 133
xii Contents
Every doctor involved in acute medicine deals with blood gas or lung func-
tion data. Although a wealth of information lies therein, much of the content
may be lost on the non-specialist. Frequently the information necessary for
interpretation of basic data is buried deep in heavy specialist texts. This book
sets out to unearth these gems and present them in a context and format use-
ful to the frontline doctor. We accompany the clinical content with underly-
ing physiology because we believe that for a little effort it offers worthwhile
enlightenment. However, as life in clinical medicine is busy, we have placed
the physiology in separate sections, so that those who want to get to the bot-
tom line first can do so.
This book is not a technical manual, and details of performing laboratory
test are kept to minimum to outline the physical requirements for success-
ful compliance. Nor is it a reference manual for the specialist. The aim is to
present information in an accessible way, suitable for those seeking a basic
grounding in spirometry or blood gases, but also sufficiently comprehensive
for readers completing specialist training in general or respiratory medicine.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We wish to thank Warwick Hampden-Woodfall for essential IT backup.
xv
Abbreviations
xvii
xviii Abbreviations
VA alveolar volume
VA minute volume of alveolar ventilation
VC vital capacity
2
VCO volume of CO2 produced by the body per minute
VD dead space
VE minute volume of ventilation
VT tidal volume
X5 reactance
EXERCISE TESTING
6MWD 6 minute walk distance
6MWT 6 minute walking test
AT anaerobic threshold
Borg type of dyspnoea scale
BR breathing reserve
2
Do rate of oxygen delivery to the tissues
ESWT endurance shuttle walk test
ISWT incremental shuttle walk test
MVV maximum voluntary ventilation per minute, usually
extrapolated from a 15-second period of forced maximal
breathing
RER respiratory exchange ratio, given by VCO 2 /VCO2
RPE rating of perceived exertion
2
VCO rate of oxygen carbon dioxide elimination by the lungs
VE minute volume of ventilation
VE /V CO 2 ratio of minute ventilation to carbon dioxide elimination by
the lungs (ventilatory equivalent for CO2)
VE /VO 2 ratio of minute ventilation to oxygen uptake by the lungs
(ventilatory equivalent for oxygen)
VE cap maximum ventilatory capacity, usually derived from predictive
equation using FEV1
VO 2 rate of oxygen consumption
VO 2MAX peak rate of oxygen consumption achieved during a maximal
exercise test
VO 2 @ AT oxygen consumption measured at the anaerobic threshold
VO 2 /HR oxygen consumption per heart beat (oxygen pulse)
WR work rate (measured in watts, W)
Abbreviations xix
GASES
CO carbon monoxide
CO2 carbon dioxide
He helium
NO nitric oxide
O2 oxygen
ppb parts per billion
STATISTICS
LLN lower limit of normality
SD standard deviation
SR standard residual
ULN upper limit of normality
SOCIETIES/GUIDELINES
ATS American Thoracic Society
BTS British Thoracic Society
xx Abbreviations
DISEASES
ALS amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
ILD interstitial lung disease
MND motor neurone disease
OHS obesity hypoventilation syndrome
OSA obstructive sleep apnoea
RTA renal tubular acidosis
UNITS
L litre
min minute
mmol millimoles
mM millimoles per litre
s second
SI standard international (units)
MISCELLANEOUS
BODE BMI, Obstruction, Dyspnoea and Exercise (index)
CK creatinine kinase
CPAP continuous positive airway pressure
CSF cerebrospinal fluid
CT computed tomography
ICS inhaled corticosteroid
PEEP positive end expiratory pressure
REM rapid eye movement (sleep)
1
Expressions of normality
The percentage predicted has long been the favoured method of expressing
lung function results amongst clinicians. It has the advantages of being easy
to calculate and intuitive to understand. A test result which falls below 80% of
the predicted value is often considered to be outside the range of natural vari-
ability and therefore abnormal, for a number of pulmonary function indices.
The percentage predicted is also used to grade severity of disease by
comparing test results with a table of cut-off ranges. The number of cat-
egories and exact cut-offs are fairly arbitrary and vary between different
respiratory societies. For example, one such table for identifying abnormal
spirometry based on the FEV1% predicted is shown in Table 1.1, modified
from the American Thoracic Society (ATS)/European Respiratory Society
(ERS) taskforce guidelines on interpretative strategies for lung function
testing.1 A similar classification is in common usage for peak flow readings
in asthma (Table 2.1).
However, different lung function tests and indices have different degrees
of natural variation within the population. For example, the transfer factor
for carbon monoxide (TLCO) has a wider inter-individual variability than
many other lung function test values, and therefore a result which is 75%
predicted may be well within the normal range. Moreover, this normal range
may alter with age, so a value which is 75% of that predicted may be normal
in the elderly, but warrant further investigation in the young.
This shortcoming has led clinical physiologists to favour the concept of the
standard residual as a statistically more valid approach to identifying normal
ranges. This method involves using standard deviations (SDs) to identify the
upper and lower limits of normality (ULN and LLN respectively). Figure 1.1
shows a typical bell-shaped normal distribution curve and includes the per-
centage of values which lie within each SD (or Z score) and the mean. In a
normal distribution, 95% of the population will record values within two SDs
above or below the mean value.
The convention amongst physiologists is to use a value of 1.64 SDs to iden-
tify the ULN and LLN. This value is chosen because in a normal distribution
1
2 Expressions of normality
Mean
–2 –1.64 –1 0 +1 +1.64 +2
2.5% Standard deviations (Z score) 2.5%
5% 5%
90% of the population will fall within ±1.64 SDs of the mean, with 5% having
‘supranormal’ values above this range and 5% having ‘abnormal’ results below
this range. However, there is no pathology associated with a supranormal
Expressions of normality 3
KEY POINTS
TESTS OF AIRWAY
FUNCTION AND
MECHANICAL
PROPERTIES
INTRODUCTION
Measurement of the peak expiratory flow (PEF) is one of the most convenient,
economical, and commonly performed tests in the management of asthma.
The test requires the simplest of measurement equipment and is straightfor-
ward to teach and perform.
The PEF is an easy test for most individuals to master but is dependent upon
maximal effort, and so requires cooperation, coordination, and comprehen-
sion to produce repeatable and reliable results.
The test involves taking a forceful, full inspiration, immediately followed
by short, maximal, explosive expiratory effort into the PEF meter. Expiration
does not need to continue past the initial ‘blast’, as flow will quickly decline
beyond this point.
The value recorded is usually the best of three efforts, each of which should
be made with acceptable technique.
PITFALLS
● An isolated peak flow reading has limited value in diagnosing the cause
of respiratory insufficiency, though it is helpful for monitoring known
cases of asthma.
● The PEF can be ‘cheated’ by spitting into the meter like a blowpipe or
pea-shooter. With practice, it is easy to blow the meter to the end of its
scale with moderate effort using this technique.
7
8 Peak expiratory flow
PHYSIOLOGY OF TEST
PEF is the highest velocity of airflow that can be transiently achieved during
a maximal expiration from total lung capacity. Because flow is a function of
resistance, and the majority of resistance is encountered in the upper airways,
the peak flow is an excellent indicator of large airway function.
In addition to airway resistance and effort, the PEF is also a function
of lung volume and recoil, both of which increase as the lung is inflated.
Therefore, measurements should be made after a full inspiration.
NORMAL VALUES
Normal values for PEF are commonly read from a nomogram, similar to that
shown in Figure 2.1.2 Note that values at all ages are directly related to height,
but that males have higher values than females of the same height and age.
These nomograms are constructed from regression equations derived
from large population studies. The most commonly used regression equa-
tions in Europe are those calculated from the European Community of Coal
and Steelworkers (ECCS) study.3 The equations for calculation of predicted
normal values for PEF for males and females are as follows:
Males: PEF (L·s−1) = (6.14 × height) – (0.043 × age) + 0.15
Females: PEF (L·s−1) = (5.50 × height) – (0.030 × age) – 1.11
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