Respiratory Tests Flashcards
(15 cards)
Spirometry purpose
Measures tidal volume, speed of exhalation and inhalation.
Assesses asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis and COPD.
Spirometry method
Explain procedure and ask for consent.
Patient breathes in and out around the single use mouthpiece.
Trace is drawn of the tidal volume, reserve volumes etc.
Reading Spirometry results
One breath is peak to peak, count the number of breaths in a minute for ventilation rate.
Calculating pulmonary ventilation
Tidal volume x ventilation rate
Vital capacity
Maximum to minimum air in a single breath
Expiratory reserve
Highest above the tidal volume
Inspiratory reserve
Lowest below tidal volume.
Tidal volume
Amount of air exchanged in a single breath.
O2 consumption from a spirometer trace
Calculate the gradient of the tidal volume
Limitations of Spirometry
Patient can feel dizzy, nauseous, and poor technique can invalidate the results.
Pulse oximetry
Used to measure oxygen concentration in the blood. Pulse oximeter clipped onto finger and turned on. Highest reading is recorded,
Peak flow purpose
Assess and monitor airway function.
Peak flow method
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Record patients height and age.
Explain procedure and ask consent.
Ensure pointer on peak flow meter is set to 0.
Patient breathes as hard and fast as possible into the single use mouthpiece. This moves the pointer to the patient’s PEFR.
Repeat twice more and highest score is taken.
Peak flow results
PEFR should be 400-700 L/min.
80-100% is good.
50-79% could indicate issues.
Less than 50% is a severe emergency.
Limitations of peak flow
Patients may feel faint or dizzy.
Improper use could invalidate results (like slouching, having finger interrupt the pointer, improper seal around the mouthpiece.)
