COLD AIR CHALLENGE OF AIRWAY REACTIVITY IN CHILDREN - A CORRELATION OF TRANSCUTANEOUSLY MEASURED OXYGEN-TENSION AND CONVENTIONAL LUNG FUNCTIONS

For pharmacological challenges, a correlation between the induced changes of the transcutaneously measured oxygen tension (Ptc(02)) and of conventional pulmonary function tests (PFTs) has been documented. We performed a 4-minute cold air challenge (CACh) in 17 children with bronchial asthma under continuous monitoring of Ptc(o2), and correlated observed changes with CACh-induced alterations of conventional PFTs. Ptc(o2) decreased significantly with CACh (from 86 +/- 10 mmHg to 66 +/- 14 mmHg, P < 0.001), but returned to near-baseline within the next 30 minutes. PFTs changed with a similar pattern; the closest correlation was found between the CACh-induced fall of Ptc(O2) and Delta-FEV1 (r = 0.833, P < 0.001). Changes of FVC, PEF, and V(max50) correlated significantly as well. Ptc(O2) can complement or substitute for conventional PFTs in assessing the response to CACh in children.