Validity and Reliability of COPD-6 Device for Detecting Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in High-Risk Individuals

Background: The current study was done to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Vitalograph COPD-6 portable device for detecting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in high-risk individuals in Iran. Materials and Methods: This research was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC using standard spirometer and FEV1, FEV6, and FEV1/FEV6 with COPD- 6 device were measured and recorded. Descriptive analysis was done. Results: 19 of 122 patients (15.6%) were diagnosed with COPD. The COPD-6 had an acceptable performance for detecting COPD as assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (0.72 ; 95% CI: 0.42-0.86), with an average sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 98%, positive predictive value of 89%, and negative predictive value of 97%. The positive likelihood ratio resulted was 42 and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.16. Conclusion: COPD-6 is a validate and reliable device for detecting COPD in non-specialized health care settings and the best cut-off point for FEV1/FEV6 ratio is 0.72.