Using a peak flow meter: What you need to know

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Huy Nhat - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

During an asthma attack, the muscles of the airways constrict, causing the airways to narrow. Peak flowmeters will assist with airway narrowing hours or even days before any symptoms of asthma appear. Based on that, the person will know when to take a quick-acting (inhaled) or other anti-asthma medication.

Peak flow meter is a small hand-held device, used to monitor and evaluate the respiratory symptoms that the patient is having, through the flow of air out of the large airways of the lungs. The science is Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF).

If you have lung problems, such as asthma, your doctor may measure peak inspiratory flow (PIF) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) to gauge how much air you can inhale and exhale. . These are also two parameters in the respiratory function meter.

Measuring peak expiratory flow (PEF) at home can help:
Warn symptoms of worsening asthma, thereby providing a choice between inhaled rescue inhalers or other common asthma medications. The use of life-saving asthma medications before the onset of an asthma attack has great benefits: it helps to quickly stop the narrowing of the airways and avoids emergency hospitalization for a severe asthma attack; Early recognition of the onset of the disease; Report the severity of asthma; Respond to the correct medication during an asthma attack; Warn whether an asthma attack is getting worse; Informing about when to adjust or add drugs, when to go to the emergency room; Give advance cues to choose the right action plan.

Peak expiratory flow will be lowest in the morning and highest in the afternoon. If the patient only measures PEF once daily, it should be measured early in the morning before waking up before taking bronchodilators.

Patients with exacerbation or mild persistent asthma may not need daily PEF measurements. But if this symptom worsens, the person needs to have the PEF measured over a period of time so that it can help the doctor make decisions about how to treat it.
Before proceeding to apply peak flowmeter, the patient should understand the warnings and precautions. If you have any questions, consult your doctor for more information and specific instructions.
Procedure for performing peak flowmeter measurements:
Step 1: Move the indicator button to zero or the lowest number on the scale of the peak flowmeter; Step 2: Attach the blow hole of the peak flowmeter to the body of the machine (if the machine has a removable blow hole); Step 3: Stand up straight or sit up straight, inhale deeply; Step 4: Insert the blow hole of the peak flowmeter into the mouth; bite gently with your teeth and close your lips, do not let your tongue block the blow hole of the peak flowmeter; Step 5: Exhale strongly and quickly once (blow as much as you can), for 1 or 2 seconds and then remove the device from your mouth; Step 6: Check the measured readings on the peak flowmeter and record it. That is your peak expiratory flow (PEF). Repeat 3 times and select the highest reading of the 3 measurements and then record this number in the peak flow monitoring table. Note:
Peak Flow Indicators (PEFs) are most valuable if tested at the same time each day, preferably in the morning and again in the evening; To be able to compare results between measurements, use the peak flowmeter in the same way each time. Consult your doctor if you have any questions about the measurement results.
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