Resp Care
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Multicenter Study
The long-term stability of portable spirometers used in a multinational study of the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
We report the performance of an ultrasound-based portable spirometer (EasyOne) used in a population-based survey of the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, conducted in 5 Latin American cities: São Paulo, Brazil; México City, México; Montevideo, Uruguay; Santiago, Chile; and Caracas, Venezuela (the Latin American COPD Prevalence Study [PLATINO]). ⋯ In these 70 EasyOne spirometers neither calibration nor linearity changed during the study. Such calibration stability is a valuable feature in spirometry surveys and in the clinical setting.
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Since there is a growing use of analgesia and sedation in spontaneously breathing patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic interventions, recommendations by national societies of anesthesiologists call for the application of capnometry during all anesthetic procedures. ⋯ Both the Tosca and Microcap Plus provide just an approximate estimation of P(aCO2). Clinical use of these monitors can not be proposed under actual conditions but will be advantageous after correction of the limiting errors.