Abstract
Aim: A simple and cost effective whistle peak flow meter was designed in order to comply with the financial restraints and difficulty of interpretation experienced by some of the patients attending the paediatric asthma clinic.
Method: A whistle was designed that operates as the electronic equivalent of a current source where I(t) equals the air flow at the inlet By setting Γout (outflow orifice size) the peak flow can be fixed when the whistle will blow. The air flow (current) passing through the whistle resistance will generate a pressure P(t) that will activate the whistle sound at a given flow I(t). By selecting a range of peak flow (50 - 700 l/s) at about 60% of the required value for age and BSA, the patient can be sent home with a whistle than will warn when the peak flow falls below a safe level.
Results: The laboratory peak flow results correlate well with the peak flow generator flows (wave No. 24) r = 0.87, n = 40, and the whistle is well accepted by the patients.
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Fourie, P., Gie, R., Wessels, J. et al. 67 A SIMPLE COST EFFECTIVE PEAK FLOW METER. Pediatr Res 36, 14 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199407000-00067
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199407000-00067
