Welch Allyn Schiller AT-2plus, Manual

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AT-2plus User Guide Spirometry Supplement Page 50
AT-2plus Spirometry Supplement Page 50
Spirometry Tips - How To Do It and Common Pitfalls and Problems
How to Do It
To ensure an acceptable result, the FVC manoeuvre must be performed with maximum effort immediately following a maximum inspiration;
it should have a rapid start and the spirogram should be a smooth continuous curve.
To achieve good results, carefully explain the procedure to the patient, ensuring that he/she is sitting erect with feet firmly on the floor (the
most comfortable position, though standing gives a similar result in adults, and in children the vital capacity is greater in the standing
position). Apply a nose clip to the patient’s nose (this is recommended but not essential) and urge the patient to:
° breathe in fully;
° seal his/her lips around the mouthpiece;
° blast air out ‚as fast and as far as you can‘ until the lungs are completely empty;
° breathe in again as forcibly and fully as possible.
If only peak expiratory flow is being measured then the patient need only exhale for a couple of seconds. Essentials are:
° a good seal on the mouthpiece and
° very vigorous effort right from the start of the manoeuvre and continuing until absolutely no more air can be exhaled;
° no leaning forward during the test.
Spirometry Tips - How To Do It and Common Pitfalls and Problems
How to Do It
To ensure an acceptable result, the FVC manoeuvre must be performed with maximum effort immediately following a maximum inspiration;
it should have a rapid start and the spirogram should be a smooth continuous curve.
To achieve good results, carefully explain the procedure to the patient, ensuring that he/she is sitting erect with feet firmly on the floor (the
most comfortable position, though standing gives a similar result in adults, and in children the vital capacity is greater in the standing
position). Apply a nose clip to the patient’s nose (this is recommended but not essential) and urge the patient to:
° breathe in fully;
° seal his/her lips around the mouthpiece;
° blast air out ‚as fast and as far as you can‘ until the lungs are completely empty;
° breathe in again as forcibly and fully as possible.
If only peak expiratory flow is being measured then the patient need only exhale for a couple of seconds. Essentials are:
° a good seal on the mouthpiece and
° very vigorous effort right from the start of the manoeuvre and continuing until absolutely no more air can be exhaled;
° no leaning forward during the test.