Simple respiratory tests can be used to measure lung volumes and flows, during inspiratory and forced expiratory manoeuvres. These are valuable in the detection of mechanical abnormalities associated with respiratory disorders.<\/p>\r\n
The Peak Expiratory Flow Rate can indicate the presence of airflow obstruction, which may be seen in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The measurement of peak expiratory flow is effort dependent, and also relies on the lung volume at which the measurement is performed. Therefore it is important that the measurement is obtained correctly and in a technically acceptable manner. Values obtained which are not reproducible can be misleading in the diagnosis and management of respiratory patients.<\/p>\r\n
Once you have watched this video, why not attempt the multiple choice quiz to test your knowledge?<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Simple respiratory tests can be used to measure lung volumes and flows, during inspiratory and forced expiratory manoeuvres. These are valuable in the detection of mechanical abnormalities associated with respiratory disorders. The Peak Expiratory Flow Rate can indicate the presence of airflow obstruction, which may be seen in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tomorrows-clinicians","category-uncategorized","entry"],"youtubeVideo":"662954996\/ca506bd7e3","question1":"Which of the following medicines are important to record in a patient\u2019s notes ahead of measuring their peak flow?","answers1":"Ramipril| Cocodamol| Inhaled salmeterol| Oral morphine\r\n","correctAnswer1":"2","correctAnswerText1":"Inhaled bronchodilators should be recorded in the patient\u2019s notes as this can affect the patient\u2019s results. This includes their name, dosage and time that they were taken.","question2":"Which is the best position for the patient when taking a peak flow reading?","answers2":"Lying| Sat relaxed in a chair| Sat up straight in a chair| Standing\r\n","correctAnswer2":"3","correctAnswerText2":"Standing up is the best position for obtaining a reading. Sitting up straight is also acceptable.","question3":"Which of the following actions is incorrect when obtaining a peak flow reading?","answers3":"Hold the peak flow meter at the sides| Ensure that the gauge is at zero| Do not obstruct the air passages at the end| Hold at a slight downward angle","correctAnswerText3":"It is important that the patient holds the meter horizontally, with their hands at the sides so as not to obstruct the gauge and avoid covering the air passages at the end. The gauge needs to be set to zero before each attempt.","correctAnswer3":"3","question4":"The patient should continue to blow into the meter for:","answers4":"1 second| 2 seconds| 3 seconds| As long as they are able to","correctAnswer4":"0","correctAnswerText4":"The meter records the force that the patient generates within the first second. They should take a deep breath, make a good seal around the meter and blow as hard and as fast as they can. It is important that the effort comes from the patient\u2019s chest and not their cheeks.","question5":"Peak expiratory flow rate is measured in:","answers5":"mL\/minute| mL\/second| L\/minute| L\/second.\r\n","correctAnswer5":"2","correctAnswerText5":"","question6":"A peak expiratory flow rate reading can be repeated for a patient after:","answers6":"10 seconds| 30 seconds| 2 minutes| 5 minutes","correctAnswer6":"1","correctAnswerText6":"A minimum of thirty seconds is required for recovery before another attempt is made.","question7":"How many technically acceptable peak expiratory flow rate readings should be taken for each recording?","answers7":"1| 2| 3| 4\r\n","correctAnswer7":"2","correctAnswerText7":"Three technically acceptable attempts are required for each reading. Advise the patient on adjusting their technique where needed after an inadequate attempt.","question8":"The patient\u2019s predicted peak expiratory flow rate value can be calculated using:","answers8":"Gender, height, peak expiratory flow rate reading| Gender, age, height| Height, age, smoking status| Height, age, weight\r\n","correctAnswer8":"1","correctAnswerText8":"","question9":"9.\tAfter three technically acceptable readings have been taken, the peak expiratory flow rate reading to be used is:","answers9":"The mean result| The median result| The highest result| The lowest result.\r\n","correctAnswer9":"2","correctAnswerText9":"","question10":"Asthma commonly demonstrates what pattern on serial peak expiratory flow rate readings?","answers10":"Results are consistent and below those expected| Diurnal variation| Results are consistent and above those expected| A gradual downward deterioration in results","correctAnswer10":"1","correctAnswerText10":"Asthma commonly presents with diurnal variation in peak flow readings. Diurnal variation refers to the difference in peak flow readings recorded twelve hours apart. The morning reading is often much lower than the evening reading and can be referred to as a \u201cmorning dip\u201d.","question11":"Which of the following statements about asthma in the UK is false?","answers11":"It is the commonest chronic medical condition in children| Asthma costs the NHS 1 billion pounds a year| The peak prevalence is between 5-15 years. It then falls until the age of 55-64 years where it starts to rise again| 1 in 25 adults receive treatment for asthma.","correctAnswer11":"3","correctAnswerText11":"1 in 12 adults receive treatment for asthma in the UK. The other statements are true.","question12":"Which of the following is not a risk factor for the development of asthma?","answers12":"Maternal smoking| History of atopy| Obesity| Growing up on a farm.","correctAnswer12":"3","correctAnswerText12":"There is no evidence to suggest that a childhood on a farm increases the risk of developing asthma. Some studies have suggested it as a protective factor.","question13":"","answers13":"","correctAnswer13":"","correctAnswerText13":"","question14":"","answers14":"","correctAnswer14":"","correctAnswerText14":"","question15":"","answers15":"","correctAnswer15":"","correctAnswerText15":"","icon":"measuring-peak-expiratory-flow-rate","parentId":"","recapId":"430","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":755,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions\/755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}