This presentation is intended to be a basic introduction to the principles of spirometry. It will also touch briefly on the interpretation of the values obtained.
The presentation is not intended to be definitive or a substitute for a formal course in pulmonary function testing. For more detail, the learner is directed to several good textbooks and textbook chapters. There are also a number of short videos on youtube.com that serve to demonstrate spirometry.
Upon successful completion of this presentation, the learner will be able to:
- Define the basic lung volumes and capacities
- Describe how the test is performed and the values obtained
- Describe basic qualities assurance measures to ensure the accuracy of the results
- State the significance of the data, especially for COPD and asthma
- Given a set of spirometry data, provide a basic interpretation
Using This Presentation