Hi,
I am considering buying a smart peak flow meter. Does anyone have any personal experiences of using one? Are they relatively easy to use?
I do have a traditional type peak flow meter - which even with glasses on I find near impossible to read at the best of times, plus recording the reading is a real pain even using a phone app due to fat fingers when in a hurry .
Thank you in advance of any replies.
I don't have one but am considering the Mir Smart One. I wouldn't necessarily spend the money just for peak flow as my peak flow is not a good guide, but my FEV1 is a much better guide and this meter does that too. I had a play with the app and it looks better than most of the awful ones out there which don't have what I need- you can set the best manually so it doesn't insist on going off predicted, plus of course it enters the reading automatically.
I have been using a PIKO1 digital meter up till now and the asthma nurses in my specialist clinic use a slightly more fancy one, I think called Asma something, for everyday quick readings. I didn't think they would take my home readings seriously but everyone I have asked said they were happy to accept them and believed they were accurate. You can buy the one my nurses use on Amazon so I assume that the 'medical' grade ones are trusted.
I do think the electronic meter reads higher than my manual for peak flow when I compare - something to be aware of of you get one as you may find you suddenly seem much better on PF and have a new best!
Good point regarding it may read higher - I hadn’t considered that, but then I do peer myopically at the traditional one I currently use and so I may not be 100% accurate myself when noting it down. - hence looking at technology.
I like the look of the app and the Bluetooth doing all the hard work for me. I’m only on iPhone/ iPad so anything needing usb cables I’m instantly disregarding.
Thank you!
Well, it’s arrived and so easy to use. Switch on your Bluetooth and blow into the device. Clear graphs and easy to read scores and percentages. You can easily add in other comments such as triggers/medication. It’s all done for you. If you leave your Bluetooth on, it connects automatically on opening the app. I no longer have to blindly find my glasses trying to take my readings. That was for an iPhone.
Unfortunately the app didn’t work at all on my partners android phone. ....
Glad it works well! I have an Android phone though so not so good to hear that. Can I ask what the issue is? Does it not work at all, or not record?
I downloaded the app on my Galaxy S7 to see how it works, but of course can't yet record.
He downloaded the app ok and the device and phoned showed they were paired in the Samsung note3 settings. However the app itself kept saying it was searching for the device. So, he could not record any readings.
His phone is very old , but other reviews in the android App Store were not glowing either.
It seems that in this case I’m very lucky to own an iPhone!
Gahhh. Thanks for mentioning this and the details. I may need to reconsider, but glad I knew before I ordered! So irritating though - I wish they'd sort this kind of thing, there are a lot of people who use Android, it's hardly a niche market. This was my preferred meter so they've just lost at least one sale. (I don't want an iPhone as I like having one cable type for all my gadgets).
I agree. If you are trying to sell a good but admittedly expensive product, then the least you can do is make sure the associated app works! It is an expensive piece of plastic otherwise as without the app there is no way of knowing what your reading is. - there is no digital screen; so essentially useless.
Incidentally it seems to read slightly lower than my ‘old skool’ Peak flow meter and it does show if you are not blowing correctly.
A quick look at amazon and the ASMA 1 looks like it needs to be ordered from America? I could only find it via Amazon.com and not via the uk Amazon app.
Partner has just pointed out that it’s possible to order from amazon and return it for a full refund if it doesnt work, which it may do on a newer phone.
That's a good point - mine is an S7 Edge which is a few steps on. Annoying phone, but may have less trouble if it's running a newer OS. (The amount of battery it eats, it should be running the space program!)
My new Mir SmartOne gadget arrived today! I managed to get it to work with the S7 Edge, but not with my old Note 3 (it should work, it runs Android 5.0 and Bluetooth 4 and this meets the Mir requirements, but it won't detect the Note 3 and I had a bit of time getting it to pair with the S7).
So far so good! It has a hilarious idea of what my peak flow ought to be - this is another gadget where I blow higher than on a manual meter and have already exceeded what I entered as my personal max. The predicted FEV1 however is pretty close to my actual recent best. I wish I had had this gadget for my flare last week to compare - FEV1 as usual is not the best while PF currently normal which is my usual pattern recently, except in recent flare where PF did drop and FEV1 wasn't available (no gadget).
So far:
Pros
-Really like how it gives you visual feedback and tells you if the blow is good or not and what you are doing wrong. While my clinic has been fairly accepting of my home measurements, it can only help to have a device that guides me as I seem to be a bit rubbish at doing this test at times (ironic as a former wind player/singer!)
-As above, like how you can customise the best values
- I like the graphing and the fact you can enter symptoms too and rate their intensity, plus enter notes eg that a blow was x hours after salbutamol. In an ideal world it would graph pre and post with different colours
Cons
-The toggling between FEV1 and PF is a bit fiddly - could do with eg having the option to toggle on the test and the results sections not go in and out of the menu
-On the other hand, it may allow for better accuracy. I have an idea the technique is not quite the same for both but may be wrong
- Took a bit of time to get the device to pair - may be easier with other OSs
- Could have a better manual
Not had it long but so far this seems good. May update after a bit. Clanger49 how are you getting on with it?
It’s currently my new best mate!
Like you, I blow much better than the guidelines predict- but it’s easy to change the value suggested. The manual is ‘clunky’ to read, but using the Mir is child’s play!
I’ve never really used fev1 as a guideline, having only had the old plastic tube peak flow meter. But, it’s fairly easy to just to slide the ‘switch’ in the setting menu.
What I have noticed is that the score on my old peak flow meter is reading approximately 3 % higher than the Mir. I suspect that might have been my technique as the Mir will tell you off when incorrectly blowing! (I still blow way over predicted scores.)
I don’t have any problems pairing with my iphone8+ . But no matter what my partner did he cannot make it work with his note 3.
I leave my Bluetooth on over night, with the phone ‘asleep’ and open in the Mir app, and so I can just grab the Mir open the phone, press start and blow and do so in the dark! (Hay fever causing havoc with my asthma and I leave my inhaler plugged into my spacer - easy to locate the two items in the dark.) The app screen is clear and large enough for me to see without needing my specs!
This is much easier for me, as otherwise I need to grab meter/glasses/pen and paper/open an app/find light switch - when half asleep, in the dark and struggling to breathe it’s a recipe for chaos!
The email content is much easier to share data with others as it’s laid out in an easy to see format. The results on the phone are clear and easy to see either in lost or graph format, however I agree that it would be really nice if it would plot the times you took ventolin. I have previously used the PEFlog on iPad- and that has to different coloured graph lines one of which you can use to plot reliever usage! So - I am just recording in the notes box how much deliver I’m taking as “ v2 “ etc.
Would I want to go back a normal meter - no. Would I buy another Mir SmartOne if I lost/ broke mine - definitely a yes! It’s just so easy to use and record.
Peak Flow doesn't always drop despite being symptomatic. 
\"normal\" FEV1 and PF, and Small Airway Inflammation
peak flow best of 3 today ws 400
If my peak flow has always been low what will spirometry reveal?
Any advice on explaining severe asthma to doctors and nurses?
