MicroMedical PulmoLife COPD Screening Device PL10

The Micro Medical PulmoLife COPD Screening Device PL10 is a COPD screening device, designed for quick and easy screening of adult smokers for early detection of COPD. Smokers are at the greatest risk of developing COPD and decline in lung function in susceptible smokers has been shown to be twice that of non-smokers.

What Is COPD?

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a name for a group of lung conditions that can cause problems with breathing, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD generally effects smokers in middle age or older and can have a major impact on their quality of life. This can be greatly reduced, however, if the disease is caught early.

What Are the Applications of the Micro Medical PulmoLife PL10?

The functions of this device all relate to monitoring lung health:

• FEV1 testing programs
• Identification of early signs of COPD in smokers over 40 or anyone with symptoms
• Helping to motivate susceptible smokers to quit

How Does This COPD Screening Device Display Its Results?

This small, innovative device measures FEV1, the measurement of choice in COPD screening. The Micro Medical PulmoLife PL10 will display a patient’s result together with the FEV1 as a percentage of their predicted value. These results are used to calculate a ‘Lung Age’. The associated ‘Lung Age’ graphical display may help the patient realise the physical damage caused by smoking, encouraging attendance for smoking cessation advice and full spirometry assessment, leading to early diagnosis and appropriate management of COPD.

What Does the MicroMedical PulmoLife COPD Screening Device OL10 Measure?

This screening device produces an array of measurements vital to the early detection of COPD:

• FEV1
• FEV1%
• FEV1% predicted
• ‘Lung Age’ interpretation – using the Morris and Temple estimation

What Are FEV1 and FEV1% and FVC?

Forced Expiratory Volume – or FEV, for short – is the measure of how much a person can exhale during a forced breath. FEV1 is the measure of volume during the first second of exhale.

FEV1% is defined as a person’s FEV1 as a percentage of their Full Vital Capacity (FVC) – the total volume that they can blow out after a full inspiration. In a healthy adult it is usually around 75%. FEV1% is a measure of lung strength rather than capacity, and has been well documented as a useful diagnostic tool for the early detection of COPD.

What Is ‘Lung Age’?

In addition to comparing patients FEV1 results with the predicted reference values for normal subjects, this device produces an estimation of ‘Lung Age’.  This estimation is a great tool for intuitively demonstrating to smokers the damage caused to their lungs by smoking.

The ‘Lung Age’ estimation is based on a patients FEV1 results and predicted values. For example a 40 year old 5’9″ (1.75m) male smoker, with an FEV1 of 3.4L, will have an estimated ‘Lung Age’ of 52 years. This is because his FEV1 is the same as the predicted value for a 52 year old man of his size.

What Are the Technical Specifications of the MicroMedical PulmoLife COPD Screening Device PL10?

• Transducer: digital volume transducer
• Resolution: 0.01L
• Accuracy: +/-3%
• Volume range: 0 to 8 litres
• Flow range: 0 to 14 litres/second
• Predicted values: 1) ECCS 2) NHANES III 3) Asian (Chinese)
• Display: custom liquid crystal
• Power supply: 3V lithium ion coin cell battery
• Dimensions: 131mm x 59mm x 38mm
• Weight (unit only): 96g
• Weight (with accessories): 226g
• Operating temperature: 0 to 40ºC
• Operating humidity: 30% to 90% RH
• Storage temperature: -20 to 70 C
• Storage humidity: 10% to 90% RH