Point of Care Portable Spirometry in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Inpatients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Introduction Spirometry is required to accurately diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Following an acute exacerbation, it is recommended that spirometry be performed after a delay of 4–6 weeks to allow stability and a measure of ‘baseline’ lung function. However, poor attendance at these appointments can occur, leading to an inability to confirm the diagnosis of COPD or assess the severity of airflow obstruction. Portable spirometry (PS) is a proven surrogate device that may provide a convenient method to address these issues. The purpose of this study was to compare PS values, obtained prior to hospital discharge to laboratory-based spirometry (LS) results undertaken 4 weeks later.