Centers for Disease Cont and Prevention

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes): Respiratory Health Bronchodilator Procedures Manual Centers for Disease Cont and Prevention

Publisher Marketing: Spirometry was previously performed in NHANES III and is being implemented again in the current NHANES (2007-8). Spirometry is the physical measurement of lung-expired air volumes and air flow rates. It is an adjunct diagnostic test, which aids in the diagnosis of chronic lung disease, but by itself, it is not sufficient to make a diagnosis of any specific condition. Spirometric data, however, is useful in population-based studies as an indirect indicator of chronic lung disease, and important knowledge of the natural history of chronic lung disease comes from studies such as NHANES III. For the current NHANES, the NHANES III spirometry protocol will again be implemented, however, with the addition of repeat spirometry after administration of a bronchodilator for selected participants. It should be recognized, however, that even with this enhancement, the screening version of spirometric testing employed in the current NHANES survey is a limited subset of the panel of lung function tests that would be routinely performed for diagnostic purposes in a hospital pulmonary function laboratory. In the current NHANES, the MEC physician's role is four-fold: 1. Conduct pre-bronchodilator study safety exclusion evaluation and obtain informed consent; 2. Administer bronchodilator medication to selected, eligible participants; 3. Provide level II referrals for participants with abnormal baseline spirometry results; and 4. Perform emergency response according to NHANES protocols, if necessary.