Comparison of an Electronic Spirometer with a Pediatric Wright Peak Flow Meter and their Relationship to Clinical Symptomatology in Asthmatic Children

Abstract

To evaluate the correlations between the Wright Peak Flow Meter and an Electronic Spirometer with clinical symptomatology in chronic asthmatic children, objective measurements of Peak Flow (PF) on both electronic (Vanguard Etectronic Spirometer) and mechanical (Wright Peak Flow Meter) Spirometers, Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume 1/2 second (FEV 0.5), Forced Expiratory Volume 1/2 per cent (FEV 0.5%), and Maximal Midexpiratory Flow Rate (MMEFR) were obtained. Subjective observations of clinical wheezing were recorded immediately before each flow rate by trained nurses.

PF determinations of both the mechanical and electronic spirometers were in close agreement. PF on the electronic spirometer correlated best with clinical wheezing in this study. The MMEFR calculated from the electronically produced graphs had the next best coefficient of correlation. These were followed by the PF measured mechanically on the WPFM.