Assessment of forced spirometry quality in healthy adults at 2,700 meters above sea level

Introduction: Forced spirometry evaluates respiratory mechanics according to the 2019 American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society criteria. The quality of the test depends on the evaluation of the curves obtained according to acceptability and repeatability, in addition to environmental factors such as altitude above sea level. Objective: To determine the quality of forced spirometry tests in a healthy adult population at 2,700 meters above sea level. Materials and methods: We conducted a prospective quantitative cohort study on reference values for forced spirometry in a healthy population at 2,700 meters above sea level. Test quality was evaluated using acceptability and repeatability criteria. Based on a prospective quantitative cohort study of forced spirometry reference values in a healthy respiratory population at 2,700 meters above sea level, the quality of the tests was evaluated considering the acceptability and repeatability criteria. Results: We performed 417 forced spirometry tests in a healthy adult population at 2,700 meters above sea level, 81% of which fulfilled the quality criteria. A greater proportion of tests did not meet the acceptability criteria, specifically, “the good start” item due to a time higher than 150 ms to achieve the peak expiratory flow; followed by artifacts such as glottic closure, the most frequent; and “the good end” criterion due to an early termination of exhalation. Conclusions: As the sessions progressed, the quality of the forced spirometry tests was optimized, a condition favored by the improvement of the technique and continuous training of the professionals.