DLCO difusion pulmonar de Monoxido de Carbono en la espirometria. Cribado de Enfermedades Pulmonares.

The DLCO is the “Diffusing capacity of the Lung for carbon monoxide (CO)”.

When the amount of carbon monoxide taken up is low, then this is a sign that gases cannot move normally from the lungs into the bloodstream.



The DLCO will be low in diseases such as emphysema and interstitial lung disease. 

However, the DLCO can also be low if the patient has small lung volumes for any reason. 

Because of this, the PFT machine will often report the DLCO/VA where the VA stands for “alveolar volume” and is more or less the same thing as the total lung capacity. 

The DLCO/VA is a better measurement of diffusing capacity in situations such as previous partial lung removal or restriction due to muscle weakness. 

The DLCO can also be low if the patient is anemic. For this reason, the PFT machine will often report the DLCOcor which is the DLCO corrected for the patient’s hemoglobin level. 

Whether to use the DLCO, the DLCO/VA, or DLCOcor is a matter of debate. Most of the time, you can just go by the DLCO unless the patient is known to have significant anemia or a prior lung resection.

Fuente: 

https://hospitalmedicaldirector.com/how-to-interpret-pulmonary-function-tests