Precision and accuracy of FEV1 measurements from the Vitalograph copd-6 mini-spirometer in a healthy Ugandan population

• Published in: PloS one 2021-06, Vol.16 (6), p.e0253319
• Main Authors: Hansen, Wajd Abbas Hassan, Schlünssen, Vivi, Jørs, Erik, Sekabojja, Daniel, Ssempebwa, John C., Mubeezi, Ruth, Staudacher, Philipp, Fuhrimann, Samuel, Hansen, Martin Rune Hassan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accuracy; Angina pectoris; Biology and Life Sciences; Calibration; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Diabetes; Engineering and Technology; Environmental health; Lung diseases; Medicine and Health Sciences; Obstructive lung disease; People and Places; Population; Population studies; Public health; Research and Analysis Methods; Respiratory function; Science Policy; Small farms; Spirometry
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253319

Objective Evaluate the accuracy and precision of the copd-6 mini-spirometer for FEV1 in a rural Ugandan population. Methods In a cross-sectional study, 171 smallholder farmers performed spirometry with copd-6, and a diagnostic-quality spirometer. Results and discussion The copd-6 underestimated FEV1 at low flows and overestimated FEV1 at high flows. Across all participants, the device slightly overestimated FEV1 by 0.04 [0.02; 0.06] L. Calibration data showed similar patterns. Conclusion The copd-6 could be considered as an affordable tool for research on lung function impairment in resource-constrained settings. However, further validation in a study population with obstructive lung disease is needed.