Source: Annual Congress 2002 - Different aspects of COPD epidemiology
Disease area: Airway diseases

Abstract

Lung function testing in epidemiological cohort studies such as in SAPALDIA1) and in ECRHS (European community respiratory health survey) involves the repeated use of spirometric devices across countries, cities and time periods. In preparation of the SAPALDIA cohort survey, lung function measurements from different spirometers were compared. A total of 852 tests (with assessment of FVC, FEV1, PEF, FEF25-75%, FEF75%) among 123 volunteers were performed, using two devices from Biomedin/Baires (volume spirometers), one Sensormedics 2400, eight Sensormedics 2200 and two devices from the new generation of Sensormedics, Vmax (flow-sensing spirometers).
Results: Biomedin/Baires, Sensormedics 2200 and 2400 spirometers showed small differences in their measurements (up to 2.1% for FVC, 1,5% for FEV1, 2,2% for FEF25-75%., 0,5% for FEF75%, 6.7% for PEF). The comparison of eight Sensormedics 2200 devices which were used in SAPALDIA 1 ten years ago revealed also some variation across devices (up to 1,8% for FVC, 3,1% for FEV1, 4,7% for FEF25-75%., 4,4% for FEF75%, 8,1% for PEF). The new generation of Sensormedics, Vmax, showed significantly and systematically lower results (up to 10%) than Sensormedics 2400.
This study underlines the necessity to conduct spirometer comparison tests for epidemiological studies to detect systematic, device-related differences in lung function measurements which can compromize on the assessment of small variations in respiratory function (e.g. being associated with geographic and temporal variations in air pollution exposure). For long-term follow-up studies we strongly recommend the repeated use of the same spirometers.

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B. Dibbert, N. Kuenzli, K. M. Schweinzer, U. Ackermann-Liebrich, P. Leuenberger, SAPALDIA Team (Basel, Lausanne, Switzerland). Variability of lung function parameters due to use of different spirometers. Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 3219

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