Single-breath washout tests to assess small airway disease in COPD
A new paper published on Chest Journal investigated the role of Single Breath Nitrogen Washout (N2WO) as a marker to evaluate small airway disease in COPD patients.
Given that current functional assessments do not allow a reliable assessment of small airways, One of the major causes of disease in COPD comes from small airways, which could not be assessed reliable by current functional assessments. An alternative could be represented by single-breath washout (SBW) tests, which are feasible and reproducible methods for evaluating small airway disease.
The study consisted in a cross-sectional study in 65 patients with moderate to severe COPD. Phase III slope of N2 (SIIIN2) and double tracer gas (SIIIDTG) SBW tests were used as a measure of ventilation inhomogeneity. The association of both markers with established physiological and clinical features of COPD was assessed.
In conclusion, the study confirmed that "SIIIN2 and SIIIDTG, two fast and clinically applicable measures of small airway disease, reflect different physiological and clinical aspects of COPD, largely independent of spirometry".
The article details are the following:
- Title: "Single-breath washout tests to assess small airway disease in COPD"
- Authors: Boeck L, Gensmer A, Nyilas S, Stieltjes B, Re TJ, Tamm M, Latzin P, Stolz D.
- Published in: Chest. 2016 May 30. pii: S0012-3692(16)49106-3
The study can be purchased at the following link: click here
