Evaluation of the Forced Oscillation Technique and the Extended RIC Model in the Analysis of Individuals with Work-Related Asthma

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT) and the extended RIC (eRIC) model in the analysis of respiratory mechanical alterations in individuals with work-related asthma (WRA). Twenty-nine individuals were evaluated: 17 healthy and 12 with WRA. Considering the resistive properties of the respiratory system, we observed increases in resistance of the peripheral airways (RpeRIC, p < 0.009) and a reduction in WRA homogeneity (p < 0.02). The use of a bronchodilator resulted in improvement of the total (R0, p < 0.05) and mean (Rm, p < 0.01) resistance. Regarding reactance, in the WRA group, the mean values were more negative (Xm, p < 0.03), while the resonance frequency increased (Fr, p < 0.0001), with decreases in dynamic compliance (C, p < 0.05, CeRIC, p < 0.01) and inertance (IeRIC, p < 0.02). We can conclude that FOT associated with the eRIC model may represent an alternative for longitudinal evaluation in WRA patients and can contribute to early disease identification.