A Standardized Breath Holding Technique for the Clinical Measurement of the Diffusing Capacity of the Lung for Carbon Monoxide 1

Abstract

Previous publications from this laboratory have described (1, 2) a modification of the Krogh breath holding technique for measuring the pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DL).6 This test can be performed quickly and simply and does not require arterial blood analyses. It has recently (2) been shown to provide an index of pulmonary diffusing capacity similar to that given by the DLo2 method of Lilienthal, Riley, Proemmel, and Franke (3) and the "steady state" method of Filley, MacIntosh, and Wright (4). The purpose of the present report is to enumerate some of the factors that affect DL, to describe a standardized technique for its measurement, and to present