Single breath counting is an effective screening tool for forced vital capacity in ALS

Forced vital capacity (FVC) as an indicator of survival and disease progression in an ALS clinic population.

In a large cohort of 1034 patients with the diagnosis of definite or probable amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the association of forced vital capacity (FVC) at baseline with (a) time to progression of 20 points in Appel ALS (AALS) score or (b) tracheostomy free survival was investigated. The median survival of ALS patients with baseline FVC <75% was 2.91 years, compared with 4.08 years for...

Is forced expiratory volume in six seconds a valid alternative to forced vital capacity?

We have read with interest the article by HANSEN et al. [1] in a recent issue of the European Respiratory Journal, stating that the use of forced expiratory volume in six seconds (FEV6) reduces the sensitivity of obstructive lung disease detection. Their study population of 3,515 current smokers, with a 17.5% prevalence of obstruction, found a sensitivity of only 76.8% and a specificity of 98.2...

Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and Forced Vital Capacity in 1 Second (FEV1) of Apparently Healthy Non-smoker Adult Obese

Effective breath holding time in the measurement of the pulmonary diffusing capacity by single breath method.

prolonged, this treatment leads to a considerable error in the DL value. In order to eliminate this error a correction factor of the inspiration time was newly introduced to obtain the effective inspiration time. The correction factor was a function of the ratio of the residual capacity to the total alveolar gas volume and the ratio of DL to the flow rate of inspiration. A nomogram was made for...

Single-breath vital capacity high concentration sevoflurane induction in children: with or without nitrous oxide?

BACKGROUND Single-breath vital capacity inhalation induction with high concentration sevoflurane (SBVC-HC) is a rapid and 'needleless' technique, preferred and well tolerated in the cooperative child. The addition of nitrous oxide may speed up induction by its second gas effects. Previous studies done in children looking at the effect of N(2)O on this technique lacked power and showed conflicti...