Measuring Your Peak Flow Rate

If you have asthma or COPD you may have heard of a medical term called “peak flows”. But what exactly are these flows and what do they actually show? Well, peak flows are measurements that pulmonologists and primary care doctors use to grade the severity of pulmonary disease. These doctors use the patient’s measurements and compare them to normal values adjusted for age, height, race and gender.

These normal values are easy to find and it would be helpful if your doctor shared these values with you. Then, you and your doctor can interpret your specific numbers to determine how severe your pulmonary disease is. In the not too distant past, patients would have to go to their doctor and use a big, expensive machine to get these valuable numbers. Thankfully, we are in the age of innovation and patients no longer need to make a time consuming and expensive trip to their doctor’s office to determine their peak flows.

Patients now can purchase peak flow meters. These meters are portable, hand-held devises that measure how much air a patient can exhale in a fast breath. These machines come in all sizes adjusted for age and are pretty straightforward to use. In fact, they are approved for patients as young as five. However, find one that fits your own personal needs. After an appropriate one is purchased, the question becomes how you use your peak flow meter.

There are a few steps involved to properly use a peak flow meter. Before you attempt to use your peak flow machine there are a few tips to adopt. Make sure the machine is clean of any debris or water. It will be prudent to get in a habit of regularly cleaning your machine. A good course would be to wash it in hot water with mild detergent. If you are battling a cold, make sure to clean it after every use.

Additionally, do not share meters with anyone. This is just begging to spread diseases.  As well, try to take your measurements at the same time every day. Doing this will cancel out any day time variance you may have. Make certain you are sitting calmly for about five minutes. If you just ran up a flight of stairs or just completed choirs, your peak flow will probably be lower than expected. These few steps will ensure you and your peak flow meter are ready to accurately record your measurements.

Next, you need to make sure the peak flow meter’s arrow is at the bottom. This number is usually zero but can vary according to the different models. Next, you need to stand erect. When you are sitting down or laying, the lungs do not have full ability to expand and as a result will change the end value misconstruing your true reading. You need to take a full, deep breath. Raise the mouthpiece to your lips and wrap your lips snug around it. Do not allow any possible exits for an air leak or bite the mouthpiece.

As well, make certain your tongue is not obstructing the mouthpiece. Take a full expiration as quickly as possible. Use your diaphragm to forcefully contract and push out all the air. Empty your lungs while blowing as hard and long as you can. This action will cause the arrow to move according to the intensity that you blew. Observe the number the arrow lands on and record this.

To make the measurements as accurate as possible, repeat three times. If there is a huge variance in the three readings, you may repeat an extra blow, but this usually should not happen. Record all three numbers and identify the largest number. The largest number is your “personal best”.

Most importantly, you need to chart your measurements. In my personal experience, printing out a form from the internet or having a notebook near your peak flow meter is the surest way to remembering. It would help to have an explanation next to abnormal readings. If one reading is low it would be safe to note “feeling bad today, hard time breathing”. Likewise, if a measure is high it could read “just took a rescue inhaler puff”. Either way, expect your doctor to question these readings that are not near the norm and it would help your care to have some type of explanation.

One quick way to determine if your measurements are adequate is to look at the zones they fall in. Your health care provider can educate you on your own personal zone, but in essence there are three zones. These zones are akin to traffic colors; red, yellow and green. All three zones are compared to your normal value. These are not definite and can certainly change. In a way, they should be thought of as a spectrum of disease and not as a singular value. We will start talking about the ideal zone first; the green zone.

You should aim to be in the green zone. This zone is where you are at your normal value or within eighty percent. A reading in this zone is ideal and you should continue your current medical regiment. The next zone we will discuss is the yellow zone.

Yellow isn’t a horrible zone to be in but it is by no means perfect. If you find yourself in this zone more often than not, you should talk to your doctor to adjust your medication. This zone is fifty to eight percent of your normal value. Be cautious here. This can be a very volatile zone. Your breathing can deteriorate or ameliorate rather quickly. A good plan to have would be one rescue puff and to take the rest of the day lightly. Talk to your doctor to develop a plan if you find yourself in this zone and follow it! If not, you may end up in the red zone.

The red zone is the worst zone and about half as low as your normal value. If you obtain a measurement in this zone you should take immediate action. You definitely need a plan with your physician for this zone and it is paramount to follow it. Some simple guidelines could be to take your rescue inhaler, wait a little bit, and if no improvement repeat a puff.

There should always be an option to call your physician or seek medical attention whether at an urgent care, emergency room, or by dialing 9-1-1. Regardless of the plan you and your physician decided, the important thing is to have a well thought out plan for these days. Observe what you did that day and if it could have affected your breathing. Did you come in contact with any irritants such as painting, mowing the lawn, or strong fragrances? Did you over work yourself? Did you forget to take your medicine? Regardless of the reason you need to realize this zone is not healthy and an immediate predetermined course of action should take place.
A peak flow meter is a wonderful device to have that has been known to help many patients out. It is easy to use and understand and a wonderful way to track your pulmonary disease. Make sure to record all values and accompanying symptoms to have the best information for your doctor. Lastly, discuss this tool with your doctor and develop a plan for when you fall in the yellow or red zones. Doing all of this will ensure you are doing everything possible to protect and keep your lungs healthy.

Sources: dearjane.com.au
Founder: e-daifu.com