What is it about?
We asked pulmonary doctors to describe the shape of a flow-volume curve plots generated during lung function testing. The shape is thought to convey some information about whether the airways are open, or potentially blocked. We compared these impressions of doctors to mathematically calculated ways to describe the curves. We found wide variation in the subjective impressions of the curves, but that the average of these correlated well with some of the mathematically calculated indices.
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Why is it important?
It is possible that the mathematically calculated indices that describe flow-volume curves could be incorporated into spirometry software, and help (partially) automate the interpretation of tests.
Perspectives
I had always loved math and computer programming, and have looked for ways for those interests to intersect with medicine. Physiology is one such way, and the use of calculus to describe flow-volume curves has been a longstanding goal of mine.
Dr Daniel J Weiner
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Subjective and Objective Assessments of Flow–Volume Curve Configuration in Children and Young Adults, Annals of the American Thoracic Society, July 2016, American Thoracic Society,
DOI: 10.1513/annalsats.201511-774oc.
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