3/16/2024 0 Comments Peak flow meter asthmaYour child's peak flow may be higher or lower than that of another child even though their age, sex, and height are identical. Your child's peak flow–based asthma treatment plan uses his own personal best peak flow reading because every child is unique. Using a simple range of color zones-green, yellow, and red, like traffic lights-specific recommendations can be spelled out as to what needs to be done to prevent a full-blown asthma attack based on what color zone the patient falls into with her peak flow measurement. This is referred to as her "personal best." When your child's asthma is not doing well or is at risk of flaring up (eg, during a "cold"), a peak flow reading can be obtained and the value compared to the child's personal best. Your pediatrician or asthma specialist will show you how to record your child's baseline measurements at a time when she is doing well with her asthma. When your child is having asthma problems, a peak flow reading puts a number on how she is doing, much as a thermometer shows how high a temperature is. The results can also be useful for the patient who does not adequately perceive worsening airway obstruction or who has difficulty distinguishing anxiety or hyperventilation attacks from asthma. These measurements can help warn a patient or parent that extra medication is needed to fend off more severe asthma symptoms. Asthma causes patients to not be able to blow air out fast because their airways are narrowed, so a low measurement with this device suggests problems are occurring with your child's asthma. These handheld devices measure how fast a person can blow air out of the lungs. Peak flow meter (or, rarely, a small electronic portable spirometer) is sometimes recommended as part of a treatment plan.
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