Peak flow meter

Patients receiving bronchodilators or antiasthma drugs otten need to monitor their lung function at home with a peak flow meter. Doing so provides the patient and the physidan with valuable information about the status of the patient s condition and the effectiveness of therapy. Otten, trends in the readings can detect changes in the patient s airway and airflow even before any signs and symptoms are experienced. This allows possible intervention before a major problem arises. 

Because a variety of meters are oommerdally available, the nurse explains about the type of meter that will be used, how often the peak flow should be checked, and the ranges for the readings along with instructions on what to do for each range. The nurse uses the following steps to instruct the patient on the use of the peak flow meter ... 

The primary care health provider will adjust the color-coded zone indicators on your personal best peak flow meter to remind you of your red, yellow, and green zones, as well as fill out your action plan with your medication instructions. 

Review peak flow meter and inhaler technique... 

Demonstrate the appropriate use of drug delivery devices and peak flow meters then have the patient perform these activities for you. If the task is performed incorrectly, demonstrate the skill again, emphasizing the incorrect step and have the patient re-demonstrate the skill. 

Objective measurements of airflow obstruction with a home peak flow meter may not necessarily improve patient outcomes. The NAEPP advocates use of PEF monitoring only for patients with severe persistent asthma who have difficulty perceiving airway obstruction. 

This is a test to assess the degree of airway limitation. It is easy to perform and relatively inexpensive. The patient takes a full inspiration to total lung capacity and then blows out forcefully into the peak flow meter. The best of three recordings are normally taken. The peak flow measures the expiratory flow rate in the first 2 ms of expiration and can overestimate the extent of lung function in patients with moderate to severe airway limitation. Other tests such as... 

Peak flow meters should be encouraged for self-management at home. When the child is well a PEFR should be taken as a baseline. Regular monitoring should then be carried out and recorded on a chart. This will detect deterioration and thus allow increases in treatment without a severe attack happening. 

Q5 Measurement of peak expiratory flow this is a simple measure of expiratory function. The peak flow meter measures the velocity of expired airflow and is suitable for both adults and children. The patient breathes out a short blast of air, as fast as possible, into the device. Normal individuals can achieve airflow velocity of 450-6501 min-1. The peak flow meter is a cheap device which is used by patients at home to monitor their asthma. If a patient s peak flow diminishes below a certain level which has been set by their nurse practitioner or family doctor, they can adjust their own treatment, within specified limits, and control their condition better. 

Q2 There is a wide range of respiratory function tests available many can be performed using spirometry or simple equipment such as the peak flow meter. The tests are used to aid the diagnosis of the respiratory disorder present, to follow the course of the disease, which may be recurrent or progressive, and to monitor the effects of therapy. In addition, there are specific occupational lung diseases, for which patients who have a respiratory disability, because of adverse conditions at the workplace, may claim some financial compensation. Their compensation depends on the extent of their respiratory disability. 

Help patients use peak-flow meters appropriately. 

Part IXA contains an alphabetical list of appliances (e.g. atomizers, peak flow meters) and dressings that are allowed to be prescribed on an NHS prescription form. All items included in Part IXA will be listed in the index at the back of the Drug Tariff. 

The NAEPP now advocates the use of peak-flow meters only for patients with moderate and severe persistent asthma. The NAEPP also has recommended a system based on a traffic light scenario (based on percentage of normal predicted values or personal best values) The green zone is equal to 80% to 100%, the yellow zone is equal to 50% to 79%, and the red zone is less than 50%. The yellow zone is cautionary and requires increasing as-needed bronchodilator use and either increasing the anti-inflammatory dose or beginning prednisone... 

The pediatric nurse is caring for a 7-year-old child with chronic reactive airway disease who is being discharged. The nurse must evaluate the breathing capacity of the child to determine the effectiveness of the medication regimen. Which interventions should the nurse implement when using the peak flow meter Select all that apply. 

Blow into the peak flow meter one time and obtain the results. 

Move the pointer on the peak flow meter to zero. 

This is the correct way to obtain the peak flow meter results. 

The peak flow meter should be repeated three times, waiting at least 10 seconds between each attempt. The highest reading of the three attempts is recorded. 

The pointer should be at zero every time the child attempts to blow into the peak flow meter. 

Over the past 10 years, electronic inhaler monitoring devices have been developed which record the date and time of actuations and can then be downloaded onto a computer. A record can then be printed which reflects a patient s pattern of inhaler use over a period of time. Electronic peak flow meters are also available which record and store peak flow values, along with date and time information. While these devices have generally been utilized exclusively for research, improved technologies are increasingly making their clinical application feasible. 

Glutaraldehyde is also used for high-level disinfection of biopsy forceps [301], peak flow meters [302] and, as an alternative to formaldehyde, of hae-modialyzers [303-305], though there is continued criticism of the latter practice due to an increased risk of infection and chronic exposure of patients to aldehydes [303, 306]. Glutaraldehyde is the only chemical found to be effective in the disinfection of composite polishing instruments in dentistry [307],... 

---