What is a Peak Flow Meter?
A peak flow meter is a device you can easily use at home to check how open your airways are. It can help you keep track of how well your asthma is controlled. You use it by taking a deep breath and blowing hard into a plastic piece that goes in your mouth. Then, write down the resulting number that appears on the meter. Peak flow meters are most helpful for people with moderate or severe asthma. Your health care provider may ask you to use a peak flow meter regularly and keep track of the numbers.
A peak flow meter is a device you can easily use at home to check how open your airways are. It can help you keep track of how well your asthma is controlled. You use it by taking a deep breath and blowing hard into a plastic piece that goes in your mouth. Then, write down the resulting number that appears on the meter. Peak flow meters are most helpful for people with moderate or severe asthma. Your doctor may ask you to use a peak flow meter regularly and keep track of the numbers.
A peak flow meter for asthma is like a thermometer for a fever. It’s a tool that helps you monitor what’s going on inside your body. In some cases when you are not feeling well, you may feel hot or feverish, but when you take your temperature with a thermometer, it is normal. With asthma, sometimes you may feel your breathing is fine, but when you measure it with a peak flow meter, your lung function is slightly decreased. A peak flow meter can help you determine airway changes and better manage your asthma. Using a peak flow meter A peak flow meter is a simple, portable, inexpensive device that measures air flow, or peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). Asthma sufferers blow into the device quickly and forcefully, and the resulting peak flow reading indicates how open the airways are, or how difficult it is to breathe. If used appropriately, a peak flow meter can be a valuable tool in your asthma management. It can be used as a tool to: • Determine the severity of asthma • Check your resp
A peak flow meter is a hand held device which measures the amount of air which someone can push through their bronchial tubes in a single rapid burst. These devices are commonly used in asthma management, although they can be utilized in the management of other lung conditions. The lower the peak flow reading, the more obstructed the patient’s airways. To use a peak flow meter, a patient stands up straight, takes a deep breath, and blows hard into the base of the meter, pushing as much air out of the lungs as possible. A slider on the meter moves up with the breath, indicating the volume of air exhaled. This process is repeated twice to arrive at an average, and the average is typically recorded in a peak flow chart. Acceptable ranges on the peak flow meter vary, depending on the patient and his or her condition. Many doctors ask patients to find a personal best range by using the peak flow meter twice a day for two weeks, and picking the highest reading as the personal best. This read
A peak flow meter is a simple, portable and inexpensive device which measures air flow, or peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). There are several meters available which vary slightly in accuracy, durability and price. If used appropriately, a peak flow meter can be a valuable tool in your asthma management. Peak flow meters are available over-the-counter, but should be used with the recommendation of a physician. [Top] Use of a Peak Flow Meter Peak flow meters can be used as a tool to: • determine the severity of asthma; • check the response to treatment during an acute asthma episode; • monitor progress in treatment of chronic asthma and provide objective information for any possible adjustments in therapy; • detect an often unrecognized worsening in lung function and thereby avoid a possible serious flare up in asthma with early intervention; and • diagnose exercise-induced asthma. One of the most important functions of the peak flow meter is to help the patient and doctor evaluate the
