• Jorge Manríquez, Orlando Díaz, Gisella Borzone, and Carmen Lisboa.
• Departamento de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago.
• Rev Med Chil. 2004 Jul 1; 132 (7): 787-93.

BackgroundIn recent years it has been suggested that in COPD, lung volumes can be modified more than expiratory flows, with bronchodilators.AimTo study the acute effects of salbutamol on FEV1 and lung volumes at rest.Subjects And MethodsForty stable COPD patients were studied using a single dose of salbutamol (200 microg). Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), slow vital capacity (SVC), forced vital capacity (FVC), and inspiratory capacity (IC) were measured at baseline and after salbutamol administration.ResultsAfter salbutamol, 39/40 patients exhibited a clinically significant increase in volumes (SVC, FVC or IC > or = 10% predicted). A significant increase in FEV1 (> or = 10% predicted) was observed in only 13 patients.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that changes in lung volumes, and consequently in dynamic lung hyperinflation, take place more frequently than changes in maximal expiratory flows during the spirometric test in patients with COPD. Assessment of spirometric reversibility based only on changes in FEV1 underestimates the effect of bronchodilator drugs in these patients.

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