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The reliability of lung crackle characteristics in cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis patients in a clinical setting

The reliability of lung crackle characteristics in cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis patients in a clinical setting
The reliability of lung crackle characteristics in cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis patients in a clinical setting
Lung sounds provide useful information for assessing and monitoring respiratory patients, but standard auscultation is subjective. Computer aided lung sound analysis (CALSA) enables the quantification and characterisation of added lung sounds (e.g. crackles). At present, little is known about the reliability of these sound characteristics. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the reliability of crackle initial deflection width (IDW) and two-cycle deflection (2CD) in a clinical population. Fifty-four subjects (37 bronchiectasis, 17 cystic fibrosis) were recruited from out-patient clinics. Three repeated lung sound recordings were taken at seven anatomical sites with a digital stethoscope connected to a laptop computer. The intra-subject reliability of crackle IDW and 2CD was found to be 'good' to 'excellent', estimated by the analysis of variance, intraclass correlation coefficient (IDW 0.76;0.85, 2CD 0.83;0.94), Bland and Altman 95% limits of agreement (IDW ?0.50;0.47 ms, 2CD ?2.12;1.87 ms) and smallest real difference (IDW 0.30;0.66 ms, 2CD 1.57;2.42 ms). Crackle 2CD was found to be more reliable than IDW. It is concluded that crackle IDW and 2CD characterized by CALSA have good test–retest reliability. This technique requires further evaluation since CALSA has potential to diagnose or monitor respiratory conditions, and provide an objective physiological measure for respiratory interventions.
crackles, lung sounds, reliability
0967-3334
903-912
Marques, Alda
d8990c23-6d85-4379-ae44-01002b5b9cd4
Bruton, Anne
9f8b6076-6558-4d99-b7c8-72b03796ed95
Barney, Anna
bc0ee7f7-517a-4154-ab7d-57270de3e815
Marques, Alda
d8990c23-6d85-4379-ae44-01002b5b9cd4
Bruton, Anne
9f8b6076-6558-4d99-b7c8-72b03796ed95
Barney, Anna
bc0ee7f7-517a-4154-ab7d-57270de3e815

Marques, Alda, Bruton, Anne and Barney, Anna (2009) The reliability of lung crackle characteristics in cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis patients in a clinical setting. Physiological Measurement, 30 (9), 903-912. (doi:10.1088/0967-3334/30/9/003).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Lung sounds provide useful information for assessing and monitoring respiratory patients, but standard auscultation is subjective. Computer aided lung sound analysis (CALSA) enables the quantification and characterisation of added lung sounds (e.g. crackles). At present, little is known about the reliability of these sound characteristics. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the reliability of crackle initial deflection width (IDW) and two-cycle deflection (2CD) in a clinical population. Fifty-four subjects (37 bronchiectasis, 17 cystic fibrosis) were recruited from out-patient clinics. Three repeated lung sound recordings were taken at seven anatomical sites with a digital stethoscope connected to a laptop computer. The intra-subject reliability of crackle IDW and 2CD was found to be 'good' to 'excellent', estimated by the analysis of variance, intraclass correlation coefficient (IDW 0.76;0.85, 2CD 0.83;0.94), Bland and Altman 95% limits of agreement (IDW ?0.50;0.47 ms, 2CD ?2.12;1.87 ms) and smallest real difference (IDW 0.30;0.66 ms, 2CD 1.57;2.42 ms). Crackle 2CD was found to be more reliable than IDW. It is concluded that crackle IDW and 2CD characterized by CALSA have good test–retest reliability. This technique requires further evaluation since CALSA has potential to diagnose or monitor respiratory conditions, and provide an objective physiological measure for respiratory interventions.

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More information

Published date: 30 July 2009
Keywords: crackles, lung sounds, reliability
Organisations: Health Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 66544
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/66544
ISSN: 0967-3334
PURE UUID: 6e687da3-9f36-46f3-86aa-5192f5aef8b3
ORCID for Anne Bruton: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4550-2536
ORCID for Anna Barney: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6034-1478

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 04 Aug 2009
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:42

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Contributors

Author: Alda Marques
Author: Anne Bruton ORCID iD
Author: Anna Barney ORCID iD

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