Chest
Clinical InvestigationsPULMONARY FUNCTIONMeasurement Variability in Single-Breath Diffusing Capacity of the Lung
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
We conducted a retrospective review of pulmonary function test (PFT) results for patients referred to the pulmonary function laboratory over a consecutive 3-year period. Approval for use of the pulmonary function data were obtained from the institutional review board on human research. Patient confidentiality was maintained by removing all identifying information from the clinical data. PFT records were reviewed to select patients who underwent spirometry and had Dlco measured during the same
Demographic and Pulmonary Function Characteristics
A total of 6,193 unique PFT records were selected for the current study with availability of spirometry and Dlco measurement during the same visit. Patient characteristics and pulmonary function data for the study sample are summarized in Table 1. The average age was 53.2 years (SD, 15.4 years). The sample consisted of 2,903 women (46.9%) and 3,290 men (53.1%). There were 3,840 white patients (62.0%) and 2,352 African-American patients (38.0%). Of the 6,193 patients with spirometry and Dlco
Discussion
The present study examined the utility of the current recommendations on reproducibility limits for the measurement of single-breath Dlco. Using a consecutive sample of patients referred to a general pulmonary function laboratory, 98.3% patients referred for clinical testing met the current ATS reproducibility criteria for repeat Dlco measurement. The use of alternative criteria that are more stringent did not significantly alter the number of patients that could fulfill these criteria under
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors thank Dr. Robert O. Crapo for his helpful comments.
References (9)
- et al.
Comparison of four methods for calculating diffusing capacity by the single breath method
Chest
(1994) Single breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (transfer factor): recommendations for a standard technique; statement of the American Thoracic Society
Am Rev Respir Dis
(1987)- et al.
Standardization of the measurement of transfer factor (diffusing capacity): Report Working Party Standardization of Lung Function Tests, European Community for Steel and Coal; official statement of the European Respiratory Society
Eur Respir J Suppl
(1993) Single-breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (transfer factor): recommendations for a standard technique, 1995 update
Am J Respir Crit Care Med
(1995)
Cited by (51)
Variability in pulmonary diffusing capacity in heart failure
2020, Respiratory Physiology and NeurobiologyCitation Excerpt :Using a percentage may lead to underestimation of variability in low values and overestimation for high values. Other studies have also suggested using an absolute value rather than a percentage (Punjabi et al., 2003; Robson and Innes, 2001;l Zavorsky and Murias, 2006) since the diffusing capacity was also independent of the magnitude of the measurement. As such, we report intersession variability values for the 4 s breath-hold maneuver for DLNO and DLCO in absolute numbers, but percentages are also provided for an easier interpretation of the variability.
Assessment of pulmonary oxygen toxicity: Relevance to professional diving; a review
2013, Respiratory Physiology and NeurobiologyD<inf>LCO</inf> Biologic Quality-Control Findings From a Multi-Center Global Study
2023, Respiratory CareSyndrome of Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema An Official ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT Research Statement
2022, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Supported by National Institutes of Health grant No. HL04065.