Pulmonary function tests and bronchodilator responsiveness.

Abstract

In 1974 a committee of the American College of Chest Physicians pragmatically suggested that fundamental spirometric parameters, expressed as percent change from baseline, could be used to assess airway responsiveness to bronchodilators.' These simple criteria have been widely applied by government and medical science. The committee also noted that more sophisticated measurements, such as body plethysmography, might well be utilized and that the tests were best evaluated in terms of their intrinsic variability. These latter recommendations have received less attention than they deserve.