Respiratory Muscle testing
Adult

Useful Management Information

Tests of respiratory muscle strength comprise maximal inspiratory and expiratory muscle pressures (MIPs and MEPs) and maximal sniff nasal inspiratory pressures (SNIPs). These tests assess the aggregate force or pressure the respiratory muscles can generate. MIPs and SNIPs measure inspiratory muscle strength, particularly the diaphragm, while MEPs measure the strength of abdominal and intercostal muscles

Indications:

  • Assess and quantify the degree of respiratory muscle weakness that may occur with neuromuscular diseases, obstructive lung diseases causing hyperinflation, conditions requiring chronic steroid use, chest deformities and unexplained dyspnoea.
  • Abnormal diagnostic test results (e.g. decreased forced vital capacity, total lung capacity or abnormal chest radiograph).
  • Assess the potential for effective cough and ability for secretion clearance (MEP) .
  • Diagnosis and management of actual or suspected injury to the diaphragm or other respiratory muscles.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of therapy designed to improve respiratory muscle strength.

Clinical Advice:

  • Severe hypertension (systolic >200mmHg, diastolic >120mmHg) may pose a relative danger to the patient. There is a risk of blackout, collapse and/or rupture of cerebral blood vessels.

Minimum Referral Criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?
Category Category 1 ((appointment within 30 calendar days))
  • Requires tests within 30 days.
Category Category 2 ((appointment within 90 calendar days))
  • Requires tests within 90 days.
Category Category 3 ((appointment within 365 calendar days))
  • Requires tests within 365 calendar days.

Essential Referral Information

This must be contained in the referral for it to be accepted.

  • Reason for referral - what is the clinical question to be answered by performing the test?
  • Current respiratory medications
  • Infectious status

If a specific test result is unable to be obtained due to access, financial, religious, cultural or consent reasons a Clinical Override may be requested. This reason must be clearly articulated in the body of the referral.

Additional Referral Information

  • No additional referral information
Last updated 27 July 2021

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If you would like to send a named referral, please address it to the specialist listed above, who will allocate a suitably qualified specialist to see the patient. Alternatively, you can view a full list of our specialists.

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