Darcy Marciniuk, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS, Master FCCP
University of Saskatchewan; Saskatoon, SK
Session Description
Pulmonary function testing (PFT) is essential to the field of respiratory medicine. Beyond its foundational use evaluating symptoms and informing patient care, testing is utilized for assessing and monitoring occupational health, determining suitability for employment, targeted screening of individuals/populations who may be at increased risk of disease, and for evaluation and monitoring of overall population respiratory health. Moreover, recent evidence has also demonstrated that lung function testing may help predict the future risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease, as well as all-cause mortality.
Recent updates to standards for the conduct and interpretation of lung function tests have been released, and introduced changes to normal comparative values, principles for bronchodilator responsiveness testing, interpretative strategies, and classification protocols of common impairments. The quantity and magnitude of changes have been disruptive to clinicians but reflect rapidly evolving understanding and recent advances. In this session, these changes will be explained and discussed, and practical means to integrate into clinical practice and patient care will be reviewed.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:
- Understand updated ERS/ATS Technical Standards on interpretive strategies for lung function testing.
- Appreciate evolving concepts and recent research in pulmonary function testing.
- Discuss and manage implications for practicing clinicians providing patient care.
CanMEDS Roles: Collaborator, Communicator, Health Advocate, Leader, Medical Expert, Professional, Scholar
