Samer Al-Kaade M.D.             ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY 
Spirometry at 6 months after lung transplant in patients monitored through the internet with daily home spirometry vs transbronchial biopsy (TBB) 
         
 

Background: Several reports have demonstrated the usefulness of daily home spirometry for early detection of graft rejection and opportunistic infections after lung transplantation. Direct report of spirometry through the Internet may improve patient care and result in better preservation of lung function.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the spirometry of 16 patients for a period of six months after lung transplant. Eight patients were followed by routine clinic visits and bronchoscopy scheduled at regular intervals; the other eight patients were followed by home spirometry and the results were reported daily via modem to a central service (Datalog Inc.) where the data were converted into a spreadsheet format and reported to us via the World Wide Web for daily review.

Conclusion: After six months post lung transplant there was no difference in the improvement in the spirometry between patients who were followed by regular pre-scheduled visits Vs those followed with daily home spirometry via the Internet.