May 27, 2009 COPD & DLCO - Diffusion from lungs into blood
Posted May 27 2009 10:05pm
Photo above is of a PFT - pulmonary function testing chamber. DLCO =diffusion is the on-line support groups hot topic: That is my problem (along with bullous emphysema��� diffusion below 60% at altitude causes some patient' s to require greater supplemental oxygen sooner, than at sea level. Note in reading, often folks with pure asthma or chronic bronchitis do not have a diffusion problem, thus even though they have difficulty breathing, they are getting sufficient oxygen saturation. This is why different components of COPD allow some to not need to haul around the O2 tanks.
Lung Diffusion Testingmeasures how well O2 passes from the air sacs in the lungs into the blood.This test is usually reported as the percent of predicted amount of carbon monoxide inhaled that should be absorbed, according to the age, sex, and height of the person. Normal values are based upon the age, height, ethnicity, and sex of the person being tested. Normal results are expressed as a percentage . This is usually done in the full PFT test-in a chamber.
There are three major types of pulmonary disorders that cause a decrease in DL CO:Obstructive airway disease (particularly emphysema and possibly cystic fibrosis), Interstitial lung disease, Pulmonary vasculardisease DL COshould be measured whenever specific diseases causing these general pulmonary disorders are being considered. Many providers consider DL CO to be a routine part of a pulmonary function test
There are many other factors that influence DL CO. Age, gender, and height are independent factors that influence DL CO. Obesity is not a predictor variable until the weight-to-height ratio (kilometers per centimeter) exceeds 1.0. As lung volume (V A ) increases, so does DL CO. Body position also affects DL CO. Changing from a standing to sitting position produces a 10% to 15% increase in DL CO, and moving from a sitting to a supine position increases DL CO by 15% to 20%.The reported variation in DL CO from morning to evening appears to be due to the minor decrease in the morning hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and the artifactual rise in carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) from repeated DL CO testing. Exercise leads to a rapid increase in DL CO by increasing pulmonary capillary blood volume. There is also a temporary increase in DL CO during the first trimester of pregnancy, presumably due to increased blood flow >>>>>>>read all about it
Photo above is of a PFT - pulmonary function testing chamber. DLCO =diffusion is the on-line support groups hot topic: That is my problem (along with bullous emphysema��� diffusion below 60% at altitude causes some patient' s to require greater supplemental oxygen sooner, than at sea level. Note in reading, often folks with pure asthma or chronic bronchitis do not have a diffusion problem, thus even though they have difficulty breathing, they are getting sufficient oxygen saturation. This is why different components of COPD allow some to not need to haul around the O2 tanks.
Lung Diffusion Testingmeasures how well O2 passes from the air sacs in the lungs into the blood.This test is usually reported as the percent of predicted amount of carbon monoxide inhaled that should be absorbed, according to the age, sex, and height of the person. Normal values are based upon the age, height, ethnicity, and sex of the person being tested. Normal results are expressed as a percentage . This is usually done in the full PFT test-in a chamber.
A value is usually considered abnormal if it is less than 80% of the predicted value for that person. Abnormal results generally indicate that gases do not diffuse normally across lung membranes. This may indicate that certainlung diseasesare present. Some of these diseases are diffuseinterstitial fibrosis,sarcoidosis,asbestosis, andemphysema. http://health.allrefer.com/health/lung-diffusion-testing-values.html
Carbon Monoxide Diffusing Capacity (DL CO )
There are three major types of pulmonary disorders that cause a decrease in DL CO:Obstructive airway disease (particularly emphysema and possibly cystic fibrosis), Interstitial lung disease, Pulmonary vasculardisease DL COshould be measured whenever specific diseases causing these general pulmonary disorders are being considered. Many providers consider DL CO to be a routine part of a pulmonary function testThere are many other factors that influence DL CO. Age, gender, and height are independent factors that influence DL CO. Obesity is not a predictor variable until the weight-to-height ratio (kilometers per centimeter) exceeds 1.0. As lung volume (V A ) increases, so does DL CO. Body position also affects DL CO. Changing from a standing to sitting position produces a 10% to 15% increase in DL CO, and moving from a sitting to a supine position increases DL CO by 15% to 20%.The reported variation in DL CO from morning to evening appears to be due to the minor decrease in the morning hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and the artifactual rise in carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) from repeated DL CO testing. Exercise leads to a rapid increase in DL CO by increasing pulmonary capillary blood volume. There is also a temporary increase in DL CO during the first trimester of pregnancy, presumably due to increased blood flow >>>>>>>read all about it
http://www.bcbst.com/mpmanual/!SSL!/WebHelp/Carbon_Monoxide_Diffusing_Capacity_D
ACSM' s exercise management for persons with chronichttp://books.google.com/books?id=1B5hGVAY0NEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=dlc
European COPD Patient Manifestohttp://www.efanet.org/copd/documents/manifesto-eng_000.pdf
" Lyn "roxlyngcd@comcast.netShort cut to this daily bloghttp://tiny.cc/COPDPulRehab