• Mirjam Stahl, Cornelia Joachim, Kerstin Blessing, Susanne Hämmerling, Olaf Sommerburg, Philipp Latzin, and Marcus A Mall.
• Division of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy and Cystic Fibrosis Center, Department of Pediatrics, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
• Respiration. 2014 Jan 1;87(5):357-63.

BackgroundCystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease starts in the first months of life often before the onset of clinical symptoms. Multiple breath washout (MBW) detects abnormal lung function in infants and young children in the laboratory setting.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of MBW in 0- to 4-year-old children with CF and non-CF controls in the clinical setting.MethodsFourteen children with CF (mean age 1.3 ± 1.0 years) and 26 age-matched non-CF controls were sedated with chloral hydrate and MBW was performed with sulfur hexafluoride.ResultsMBW measurements were successful in 27 of 40 children (67.5%). The mean lung clearance index (LCI) was significantly higher in CF patients compared to non-CF controls (p = 0.006). Further, the frequency of elevated LCI (z-score >1.96) was significantly increased in CF patients compared to controls (p = 0.0003).ConclusionsWe conclude that MBW is feasible and sensitive to detect abnormal lung function in infants and young children with CF in the clinical setting.

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