The Lung Tracker is freely available for software implementation to visualize lung function data.
This tool is intended for research and educational purposes and should not be used for patient treatment. The resulting plot should be interpreted in conjunction with other clinical and medical data.
For treatment and diagnostic purposes, please utilize the GLI reference equations as implemented by medical device companies.
This documentation outlines the usage of web-based calculators for single- or multi-record individual lung function and individual reference lines. The lung function tracker provides both an all-age raw value chart (spanning from 4 to 90 years of age) and an all-age GLI-based z scores chart (spanning from 4 to 90 years of age). Furthermore, users can set the minimum and maximum range for the figure or focus on the lung function growth chart, which covers the age range from 4 to 25 years, with a fixed age range for the output. Additionally, the lung function tracker is specifically designed to illustrate individual lung function trajectories, making it suitable for use with one participant at a time.
Fill out the form on the left side of the page, providing measurements obtained from the individual. Refer to the list below for the mandatory input values for each test. The system will prompt you if any required information is missing or if errors are detected.
Prepare your Excel or Text file (.csv, .xls, .xlsx or .txt) containing the mandatory and lung function parameters for the participants. Upload the file to the dedicated input field located on the left side of the calculator page. All the test points (outlined below) are utilized for the lung function tracker. Therefore, when preparing your Excel or Text file, ensure to include the mandatory variables: age, height, sex,ethnicity and at least one lung function parameters. Refer to the variables documentation below for details on optional input values. Ethnicity is a crucial variable for calculating reference lines, and valid values are specified below. Please use the column names in your Excel or text file as specified below.
Whenever applicable, use fractional ages (to one decimal place) to enhance calculation accuracy, and avoid duplicating the age information. Additionally, you have the option to label the figure with either the percentile or standard deviation,placing the lower limit on the left side of the page. Please be aware that for modern browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, IE 10+, and Edge, no data will be written to the server. However, for IE 9 and below, a results file will be generated and automatically deleted within 24 hours. Keep in mind that missing values on non-mandatory variables are replaced by NA values and will be skipped in the output. The general data provided for the lung function tracker is regularly updated at the bottom of the table. It becomes visible in the output when downloaded using the “Download” button. You can conveniently print the table contents along with the plots in PDF format.
Mandatory variables include Age, Height, Sex, Ethnicity, and at least one lung function parameter at each measurement.
Variable | Description | Type | Range |
---|---|---|---|
Age | Age (years) at the time of each measurement | decimal | 4-90 |
Height | Height (cm) at the time of each measurement | decimal | 50-230 |
Sex | Participant’s sex (Male=1, Female=2) | string | 1,2 |
Ethnicity | Ethnicity 1=(Caucasian), 2=(African American),3=(North East Asian), 4=(South East Asian), 5=(Other or Mixed) | string | 1,2,3,4,5 |
FEV1 | Forced Expiratory Volume (1 sec) measured during spirometry (L) | decimal | 0-10 |
FVC | Forced Vital Capacity measured during spirometry (L) | decimal | 0-10 |
Example data input file format:
Age | Height | Sex | Ethnicity | FEV1 | FVC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6.75 | 120.9 | 1 | 1 | 1.16 | 1.24 |
11.7 | 142 | 1 | 1 | 1.8 | 1.94 |
14 | 150 | 1 | 1 | 2.01 | 2.16 |
Erik Melén, Rosa Faner, James P Allinson, Dinh Bui, Andrew Bush, Adnan Custovic, Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Stefano Guerra, Robab Breyer-Kohansal, Jenny Hallberg, Lies Lahousse, Fernando D Martinez, Simon Kebede Merid, Pippa Powell, Hilary Pinnock, Sanja Stanojevic, Lowie E G W Vanfleteren, Gang Wang, Shyamali C Dharmage, Jadwiga Wedzicha, Alvar Agusti, CADSET Investigators. Lung function trajectories: relevance and implementation in clinical practice. Lancet. Published online March 12, 2024.
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This work was supported by ERS CADSET collaboration, Swedish Research Council, Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, European Research Council, Karolinska Institutet, and Södersjukhuset.