DNA Explainer: 'Spirometer' a boon for COVID-19 patients?

We all know that the COVID-19 or coronavirus directly affects a person's lungs. This is the reason that serious COVID-19 positive patients have been requiring a constant oxygen supply to survive. In such a time of crisis let us look at some ways to better our lungs functioning. One such method is the use of an incentive spirometer.

Spirometers are commonly used at hospitals after surgeries or prolonged illnesses that lead to extended bed rest. Your doctor or surgeon may also give you a take-home spirometer after surgery. But before we understand how this device functions, let us know a little more about the device. 

Your doctor, surgeon, or nurse will likely give you specific instructions on how to use your incentive spirometer.

What is an incentive spirometer?

An incentive spirometer is a handheld device that helps your lungs recover after a surgery or lung illness. Using a spirometer helps keep your lungs active and free of fluid.

Breathing slowly with a spirometer allows your lungs to inflate fully. These breaths help break up fluid in the lungs that can lead to pneumonia if it isn’t cleared.

When you breathe from an incentive spirometer, a piston rises inside the device and measures the volume of your breath. A healthcare provider can set a target breath volume for you to hit.

An incentive spirometer is often given to people who’ve recently had surgery, people with lung disease, or people with conditions that fill their lungs with fluid.

Benefits of incentive spirometer

Improving lung function

Reducing mucus buildup

Strengthening lungs during extended rest

Lowering the chance of developing lung infections

How to use an incentive spirometer

Sit at the edge of your bed. If you can't sit up completely, sit up as far as you can.

Hold your incentive spirometer upright.

Cover the mouthpiece tightly with your lips to create a seal.

Slowly breathe in as deep as you can until the piston in the central column reaches the goal set by your healthcare provider.

Hold your breath for at least 5 seconds, then exhale until the piston falls to the bottom of the spirometer.

Rest for several seconds and repeat at least 10 times per hour.

Incentive spirometer functioning

The main column of your incentive spirometer has a grid with numbers. These numbers are usually expressed in millimeters and measure the total volume of your breath.

The piston in the main chamber of the spirometer rises upward along the grid as you breathe in.

The deeper your breath, the higher the piston rises. Next to the main chamber is an indicator that your doctor can set as a target.

There's a smaller chamber on your spirometer that measures the speed of your breath.

This chamber contains a ball or piston that bobs up and down as the speed of your breath changes.

The ball will go to the top of the chamber if you’re breathing in too quickly and will go to the bottom if you’re breathing too slowly.

Many spirometers have a line on this chamber to indicate the optimal speed.