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RESPIRATORY PHYSIOLOGY |
1 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
2 Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
3 Department of Pediatrics, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Sophia Children’s Hospital, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
4 Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, University Hospital Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr H A Smit, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, PO Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands;
Jet.Smit{at}rivm.nl
ABSTRACT
Background: The short and long term variability of the interrupter technique was assessed to determine whether interrupter resistance is a stable individual characteristic over time. The effect of field and standardised measurement conditions on the within-subject variability of the interrupter technique was also examined.
Methods: The interrupter technique was studied under field and standardised conditions in children aged 3–6 years. Under field conditions, five investigators performed the measurements using two different measurement devices in random sequence. Both short term (20–30 minutes) and long term variability (median 38 days) were assessed in 32 children. Under standardised conditions, a single investigator conducted all measurements using a single device; the repeated measurements were conducted at the same time of day in a familiar quiet classroom. Long term variability (median 11 days) was estimated in 15 children. Within-subject standard deviations were estimated by analysis of variance with adjustment for the effects of different investigators and measurement devices on within-subject variability under field conditions.
Results: Under field conditions within-subject standard deviations for short and long term variability were 0.10 kPa/l/s (adjusted 0.10 kPa/l/s) and 0.13 kPa/l/s (adjusted 0.14 kPa/l/s), respectively. Under standardised conditions the within-subject standard deviation for long term variability was 0.10 kPa/l/s.
Conclusions: Measurement of interrupter resistance under field conditions only slightly increased the within-subject variability compared with standardised conditions. The results indicate that interrupter resistance is a stable individual characteristic over a period of some weeks.
Keywords: interrupter technique; interrupter resistance; variability; children
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I Dundas, S A McKenzie, E Lombardi, and P D Sly Interrupter resistance Thorax, May 1, 2004; 59(5): 449 - 450. [Full Text] [PDF]
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P D Sly and E Lombardi Measurement of lung function in preschool children using the interrupter technique Thorax, September 1, 2003; 58(9): 742 - 744. [Full Text] [PDF]
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