COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO DEVICES MEASURING PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW IN HEALTHY YOUNG

Abstract

Introduction: The study of pulmonary function is essential for diagnosis, intervention and monitoring of patients with respiratory diseases and is commonly measured by peak expiratory flow (PEF). However, the variability of PFE measurement between different devices has not been sufficiently studied in literature. Objective: To evaluate the reproducibility of the measurement of PEF by a portable electronic device, in healthy young individuals, comparing their values with those obtained by standart spirometry. Methods: This was a descriptive, comparative study, held at School of Physiotherapy Clinic of a University Community in Salvador. The convenience sample consiste of undergraduate students of physiotherapy that functional assessment consiste of spirometry with FVC maneuver and measurement of PEF by electronic device PIKO-1. Results: A total of 20 students included, 60% were women, mean age 24.8 ± 4 years. The average PEF was 495.2 ± 115.8 l / min. With reference spirometry, the mean values from both the PEF (495.2 ± 115.8 l / min) as the FEV1 (3.4 ± 0.68 l) were higher than with Piko-one (486 , 7 ± 114.5 l / min and 2.85 ± 0.68 l, respectively, p <0.0001), however all measurements are reproducible. Conclusion: The electronic device to measure PEF, the Piko-1, it is appropriate to evaluate and monitor patients undergoing elective pulmonary function evaluation, and may be an alternative resource for simple measurement of PEF