CALIBRATION CHECK AND RECALIBRATION
The ATS Recommendation
The American Thoracic Society recommendation for recalibration is
as follows:
“The spirometer’s ability to accurately measure volume should
be checked at least daily with a calibrated syringe with a volume
of at least 3.0 liters. During industrial surveys or other field
studies in which a large number of subject maneuvers are done,
the equipment should be calibrated prior to testing daily if in
regular use and then every 4 hours during use. Although there
is minimal day-to-day variation in volume calibration, daily cali-
bration checking is highly recommended so that the onset of a
problem can be determined within one day, eliminating needless
reporting of false values for several weeks or months and also to
help define day-to-day laboratory variability. For survey testing
where a large number of maneuvers are done, the 4-hour period
of calibration checking is recommended to prevent invalidation
of data from a large number of maneuvers,,.”
Check calibration and recalibrate if necessary any time there has
been a change in elevation of 200 feet or more.
Check the calibration and recalibrate if necessary whenever the
pneumotach assembly has been replaced for any reason, i.e.
cleaning, sterilization, changing the battery.
Examine the screen of your PneumoCheck daily. Blockage of the
screen indicates the need for cleaning the screen (see p. 41) fol-
lowed by a calibration check.
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