FEV1

[Sykesy01]

What does the acronym FEV1 stand for? I know it is to do with a breathing test of some kind. Is it the test where they measure your breath with the machine?. Sorry to be a pain

[stone-UK]

Hi

Forced Expiratory volume

The amount of air you breath out in one second.

Part of a spirometer test.

[Sykesy01 in reply to stone-UK]

Thank you stone

[O2Trees]

Never apologise for asking a question Sykesy

[Sykesy01 in reply to O2Trees]

Thank you. Ian x

[andmikel]

It is the newest version of Peak Flow which was the measure of the best reading of three when you emptied your lungs as fast as possible. This was measured in Litres per minute. FEV1 is the modern version in Europe and gives the answer in Litres per second. I still use the Mini Wright meter and check daily, It flummoxed me for ages before I sorted it out via WIKIpedia. Names keep changing, like Podiartry has replaced Chiropody. It's just a means of maintaining the mystique to keep the patient one step behind I reckon.

[Sykesy01 in reply to andmikel]

Thank you for the information it's much appreciated.Cheers Ian

[O2Trees in reply to andmikel]

The correlation between peak flow meters and spirometers is poor, andmikel. PF meters are commonly used for asthma, while spirometry is used for copd. While the peak flow meter measures the amount of air you can blow out, spirometry measures two things, that first big hard blow, then the rest of the air that you can manage to breath out following that, and the results are based on both.

Nobody nowadays would use a peak flow to establish whether you had copd, or its extent - if they did you should be complaining!

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/170...

[Sykesy01 in reply to O2Trees]

Yeah thanks for the information, I had the spirometry's test done for my diagnosis confirmation which showed severe COPD. I am trying to keep away from the oxygen and get by with my nebulizers and inhalers. Cheers Ian

[soulsaver]

Fev1 is a different measure than Peak Flow.

As Stone said Fev1 is the Forced Expiry Volume in one second. The amount of air you can forcibly expel from your fully inflated lungs in 1 second. As its name implies, it is a volume (not a speed) measured in litres and it is one of several measurements in spirometry.

Peak Flow measures the maximum (peak) speed (flow) of exhalation - is measured in 'litres per minute' and is still used extensively to monitor/predict risk of asthma exacerbation.

[Sykesy01 in reply to soulsaver]

Thank you for the information? It is very much appreciated. Cheers Ian

[O2Trees in reply to soulsaver]

This is really important. I didn't see your clarification SS when i just wrote mine above. Id never realised that the main difference - or one of them - is that one is measurement of volume, and the other of speed.

[soulsaver in reply to O2Trees]

My comment wasn't aimed at you O2, it was the one above that was just so.. incorrect (...doesn't do it justice).

[O2Trees in reply to soulsaver]

I understood that soulsaver, we were both replying about the same incorrect information - I was meaning i might not have written so much if id already seen that you'd got there first, I don't usually go into detail if someone's already done it.

[Beth1949]

What is considered a good FEV? The higher the number, the better?

[jackdup in reply to Beth1949]

Yes the higher the better but it is dependent on your age, sex, race and height. On a spirometry test they will have a value that is expected for someone of your age, sex, race and height and your result is compared to that and then presented as a percentage of that predicted value. It is that percentage that determines the stage of COPD you have.

[Beth1949 in reply to jackdup]

Thank you for the explanation, Beth