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- Article: Understanding spirometry
- Author: Linda Pearce is respiratory nurse consultant and clinical lead, Suffolk COPD Services, West Suffolk Hospital
This article tells you about:
- What spirometry is and why it is used
- How to decide whether a patient is suitable for spirometry testing
- How to perform spirometry
- What the results show
- Which patients are not suitable for spirometry
You would be likely to reference this article if you were researching:
- Respiratory nursing
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Lung function
- Asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
In what situations will this article be useful to me?
If you are caring for a patient who is experiencing respiratory problems that are undiagnosed or with a diagnosed respiratory disorder that needs to be monitored. Spirometry is considered to be the “gold standard” method of assessing lung function. It should be used:
- For patients presenting with undiagnosed respiratory symptoms such as wheeze, cough and dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing or in catching the breath)
- For patients with suspected COPD
- To monitor patients with diagnosed long-term respiratory conditions
Questions for your mentor/tutor
- How do I perform a spirometry test?
- What should I do with the results?
Student Nursing Times Decoder
- Spirometry: A method of measuring the speed and volume of air expelled from the lungs
- FVC: Forced vital capacity – the amount of air that can be forcibly expelled from the lungs after maximum inspiration
- FEV1: Forced expiratory volume in one second - the volume of air exhaled during the first second of a forced expiration
- FEV1/FVC ratio: The percentage of the FVC expired in the first second of a forced expiration
- VC:Vital capacity – the total volume of air expelled in a forced expiration after maximum inspiration
- PEF:Peak expiratory flow – the highest flow achieved during a forced expiration, measured in litres per minute
Other articles you might find useful
Best practice: Carrying out accurate spirometry testing - part 2
Guidance: The use of diagnostic spirometry in primary care
Interstitial lung diseases 1: Diagnosis and investigation
An overview of acute exacerbations of COPD
Using action plans for COPD patients
Reducing COPD admissions with a specialist chronic disease management team
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