Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Pulmonary function tests play an important role in the management of pulmonary diseases. One of the tests that are widely used is spirometry. Performing an acceptable spirometry manoeuvre according to the standards set by the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society is difficult. The aim of this study was to compare forced expiratory volume in 3 s (FEV(3)) and forced expiratory volume in 6 s (FEV(6)) with forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory volume in 1 s FEV(1)/FEV(3) and FEV(1)/FEV(6) with FEV(1)/FVC, in order to substitute the usual spirometric manoeuvres with manoeuvres that are easier to perform. METHODS In a cross-sectional study, spirometry was performed for 588 subjects who were referred for occupational health evaluations. The accuracy of FEV(3), FEV(6), FEV(1)/FEV(3) and FEV(1)/FEV(6) was compared with that of FVC and FEV(1)/FVC. Chi-square tests and kappa tests were used to analyse the data. RESULTS Individuals with normal (n = 297) and abnormal spirometry (n = 291) were evaluated. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of FEV(1) /FEV(6) , as compared with that of FEV(1)/FVC for detecting obstruction, were 93.56, 99.32, 98.95 and 96.09, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of FEV(6), as compared with that of FVC for detecting restriction, were 96.68, 98.65, 96.68 and 98.65, respectively. CONCLUSIONS FEV(6) and FEV(1)/FEV(6) can be used as surrogates for FVC and FEV(1)/FVC, respectively, and these parameters showed acceptable sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for occupational health evaluations.