Polish specialists report the results of an experimental study involving home measurement of spirometric parameters. The medical team collected these data over a period of three months using an electronic spirometer linked by telematics to a central platform :
- 21 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) aged 2 to 22 years, half of them in wheelchairs, participated in the study,
- the equipment proved to be reliable and easy to use,
- compliance was good in the vast majority of cases,
- the measurements taken in hospital were perfectly correlated with those taken at home,
- some patients had even improved their vital capacity at the end of the three months.
The investigators of the study therefore advocate the wider use of this type of device, not only for more regular monitoring of spirometry but also as a component of respiratory muscle training.
