Russia has created a compact device for monitoring the condition of the lungs

MOSCOW, August 12 Scientists from Siberian State Medical University have developed a new device for patients with pulmonary pathology – a spirograph for individual use. According to the developers, the uniqueness of the device lies in the fact that ultrasound was used for the first time in Russia as a physical principle for recording respiratory parameters.
Spirography (spirometry) is one of the methods for diagnosing bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory tract pathologies. This method allows you to estimate the volume of inhaled and exhaled air, as well as the speed of its passage through the respiratory tract in a calm and forced state.
According to WHO, there are about 262 million asthma patients in the world: in different countries, this disease affects from 4 to 10% of the population. The prevalence of asthma increases with urbanization due to indoor and atmospheric air pollution. Along with this, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the 3rd leading cause of death in the world; about 2.8 million people die from COPD every year.

As the developers of the new device explained, classic spirographs, which are currently widely used in medical institutions, operate on two principles: the «turbine» principle (the turbine is set in motion by the air flow) and the «membrane» principle (the membrane changes shape by the air flow).

However, such a classical approach to the construction of measuring systems, according to scientists, has two drawbacks: the device depends on external environmental factors (air temperature, humidity, etc.) and requires constant verification (assessment of metrology and calibration). That is, in the office where such a device is installed, there must be a certain and stable environment. In addition, medical personnel are forced to calibrate the device using a special calibration syringe approximately once a week.

A new generation spirograph developed by scientists from the Siberian State Medical University (SSMU) provides for stable parameters regardless of the environment, and its calibration is carried out only once at the production facility.
Ivan Tolmachev, Head of the Strategic Project «Bionic Digital Platforms» at SSMU, reported that the team was developing a device that could be used both as part of telemedicine complexes in medical institutions and as a device for individual use at home.

«We believe that our device will allow patients with COPD and bronchial asthma to monitor their condition, and doctors conducting monitoring will be able to more adequately adjust drug therapy,» the scientist emphasized.
The prototype of the product was created within the framework of the Priority-2030 development program. The development will be tested at the clinics of the Siberian State Medical University.