About Preparation Of Spirometry And Instructions For The Patient - NDD EasyOne Pro Operator's Manual

Performing lung function tests
6.2

About preparation of spirometry and instructions for the patient

Operator's Manual V5.0 • EasyOne Pro/LAB Rev. 05
© ndd Medizintechnik AG • Technoparkstrasse 1, 8005 Zurich, Switzerland • www.ndd.ch
Preparing the patient
Prepare the patient for testing: The patient should loosen tight clothing,
remove dentures, and relax. The patient may sit or stand. If the patient is
standing, perform testing in an area free of sharp table edges or counter
edges, or have a chair available as there is a slight possibility that the patient
faints during the strenuous breathing maneuver of the spirometry test.
Explaining spirometry
Explain that the purpose of the test is to determine how much air a person's
lungs can hold and how quickly that air can be expelled with a forceful,
maximum effort. Since the spirometry test requires active participation on the
part of the patient, it is very important to demonstrate the breathing
maneuver to the patient.
The most commonly used spirometry test is the FVC test. Emphasize the
essential elements of the breathing maneuver, for example, for the FVC test:
• Filling lungs completely
• Sealing lips around the spirette so that there are no leaks, taking care not
to block its opening with the teeth or tongue and not to bite down
excessively
• Blasting out as hard and fast as possible
• Blowing out continuously until the lungs are completely empty
Different breathing maneuvers for different tests
This chapter describes the overall process of performing spirometry with the
FVC test as an example. The different spirometry tests differ only in the
breathing maneuver that the patient has to perform. The overall process of
performing spirometry is the same.
Therefore, to perform the other spirometry tests, familiarize yourself with the
other breathing maneuvers.
Carefully watch the patient
It is your responsibility to watch the patient for signs of distress. After several
trials, let the patient take a break. If it is not possible to obtain an adequate
number of good trials, even after repeated attempts, you should let the
patient rest, depending on how the patient feels, or stop the measurement
entirely. After a break, you can still pick up a test and add trials, or print the
report.
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