This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Peak expiratory flow rate

Authoring team

The PEFR is the maximum rate of airflow that can be achieved during a sudden forced expiration form a position of full inspiration.

The good points about PEFR are:

  • the PEFR reflects the calibre of the airways and is most useful for day-to-day monitoring of asthma
  • the PEFR device is cheap and convenient

The bad points about PEFR are that the value depends on:

  • effort
  • technique

Also PEFR is a measure of airflow and cannot detect restrictive ventilatory defects, such as those caused by pulmonary fibrosis, since these reduce lung volume but do not affect airflow (1).

Click here to download the normal adult values chart

Click here to download the normal paediatric values chart

Reference:

  1. The Practitioner 2005; 249:180-88.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.