Many asthmatics only take spirometry during a doctor’s appointment and monitor their condition at home with a peak flow meter. However, PEF test may not be the optimal way to monitor asthma. We listed three important reasons to consider getting your own spirometer.
- More Information with a Single Test
A peak flow test is usually done as a series of at least three measurements. If the two best values are more than 20 l/min apart from each other, the test needs to be done more than three times. Despite taking a lot of effort, a PEF meter still offers only one viewpoint to your lung condition. The most important advantage of spirometry is that it gives you a wide variety of information: when using a spirometer at home, such as KAMU Spiro, you get not only PEF value but also FEV1, FEV6, FEV1/FEV6 and FVC values.
- Forget the Pen and Paper
Perhaps the most inconvenient thing about peak flow meters is that the values will not be saved anywhere, unless you remember to write them down yourself. Fortunately, digital mobile spirometers that are designed for home use can also save your results. KAMU Spiro can hold several months’ worth of your spirometry values. The results are automatically synchronized to your KAMU Asthma app as soon as you pair the spirometer with your smartphone.
- More Comparable Results
One of the biggest problems of PEF monitoring is that the results vary a lot, which makes the measurements less comparable to each other and makes monitoring the lung condition less reliable. A PEF test requires a short and sharp puff, whereas a spirometry test is a forceful exhalation of several seconds. A longer test makes it possible to get more comparable results, such as FEV1, which is the amount of air you exhale during the first second of the spirometry. KAMU Spiro beeps when your spirometry has lasted the required six seconds. It also automatically detects your technique and gives you feedback to help you get more accurate results.
Getting a high-quality spirometer for home use is a good idea when you want an easier and more reliable way to monitor your lungs instead of a traditional peak flow meter. KAMU Spiro is a hospital-grade medical device with CE-marking. It’s durable and easy to use and it works together with the KAMU Asthma smartphone app. Read more about KAMU here.
