To view the TruZone* PFM
Patient Counseling Sheet, please click here.
DAILY
PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW MONITORING
VERSUS SPIROMETRY
Peak Flow Meters are hand-held devices designed to measure Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF), the rate at which a patient can forcefully exhale air out of the lungs.
Peak Flow Meters provide Asthma and COPD patients with an easy way to monitor daily peak flow trends. By monitoring and recording their own condition at home on a daily basis, patients may be able to detect a decrease in peak flow even before symptoms of the disease get worse, providing an opportunity to address the problem before it becomes severe.
Daily PEF monitoring is often confused with spirometry measurements. Spirometry is a term used to describe a group of pulmonary function tests, including peak expiratory flow rate, performed in healthcare settings by trained professionals. The information gathered during these tests is useful in diagnosing certain types of lung disease, such as Asthma and COPD.
Daily PEF monitoring is not meant to replace spirometry testing but rather augment spirometry by providing a daily early warning system to help manage one's asthma or COPD.
It is believed that asthma accounts for one in every 250 deaths worldwide1, and many of these deaths are preventable, with adequate treatment. In Canada, about 10 people die from asthma each week and it is estimated that 80% of these deaths can be avoided.2
A recent study found that Peak Expiratory Flow showed the best specificity and maximum sensitivity for predicting death.3 Although COPD is not a reversible condition, treatment can slow it's progression.
The TruZone* peak flow meter (PFM) is easy to use and provides reliable readings of a patient's PEF, which when monitored and recorded every day in a daily record visually indicates a trend in PEF over time. Used daily, a TruZone* PFM helps patients become active partners in monitoring their condition, provides an accurate early warning system, and may save trips to the hospital emergency room.
Used together with an AeroChamber* brand valved holding chamber, the TruZone* Peak Flow Meter is an essential part of a patient's asthma/COPD management plan.
1 Masoli M, Fabian D, Holt S, Beasley R. Global Burden of Asthma. Developed for the Global Initiative for Asthma. May, 2004.
2 The Canadian Lung Association
3 de la Iglesia F et al. Peak Expiratory Flow Rate as Predictor of Inpatient Death in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Southern Medical Journal. 98 (3):266-272, March 2005.
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MD-329A-1105