Respiratory Therapists Improve Testing with Antlia Pro

Respiratory Therapists (RTs) benefit significantly from using Antlia Pro as part of modern respiratory care because the device’s forced oscillation technique (FOT)/oscillometry measures lung mechanics with minimal patient effort—an advantage especially in paediatric, elderly, and compromised patients. Key research-based points include:

A. Effort‑independent and easy to administer:

Oscillometry and FOT measure respiratory impedance during tidal breathing, requiring no forced expiratory manoeuvre, which makes testing feasible in patients who cannot reliably perform spirometry (e.g., children, cognitively impaired, or severely ill)—a core task respiratory therapists often manage.

B. Detects subtle changes in airway function:

Studies show FOT/oscillometry can detect peripheral airway dysfunction that may not be apparent on conventional spirometry, which is critical for earlier intervention and therapy adjustments.

C. Useful for therapy monitoring:

Oscillometric parameters have been correlated with clinical changes and treatment responsiveness (e.g., bronchodilator response in COPD and asthma cohorts), providing RTs with quantitative objective data to guide therapy and evaluate improvement over time.

D. Complements conventional lung function tests:

Research highlights that FOT/oscillometry is a complementary modality to spirometry, providing additional insight into airway resistance and reactance across the respiratory system—information that therapists can integrate into comprehensive pulmonary assessments.

E. Paediatric applicability:

In children, especially young ones, where spirometry is challenging, FOT is increasingly recognized for objective lung function assessment during normal breathing, making it especially relevant for RTs who often perform paediatric lung testing.

With the introduction of Antila Pro technology, respiratory therapists are continuing their commitment to patient-centred care through increased levels of innovative diagnostic testing. Respiratory therapists will use the FOT method to help increase early detection of disease states within healthcare facilities through the use of the highly accurate and reproducible FOT method. In addition, the FOT method will allow respiratory therapists to provide patient-friendly, objective, and accurate results for the evaluation of respiratory mechanics during quiet tidal breathing, helping to increase patients’ reliability as compared to past methods while alleviating the patient’s strain during the diagnostic procedure.

Through the use of the FOT method, respiratory therapists have improved workflow efficiencies, as FOT tests require less patient coaching than FOT tests. FOT tests also require less total time than performing an FOT test with standard spirometric testing, increasing patients’ compliance with subsequent FOT tests. The increased workflow efficiencies associated with performing FOT tests are especially beneficial in high-volume pulmonary function labs and acute-care pulmonary units, where respiratory therapists must provide accurate results using FOT while completing in an efficient and timely manner. Finally, because the performance of FOT tests does not depend upon total patient effort, respiratory therapists will also have obtained a reduction in the overall number of poor quality FOT tests that result from the inability of patients to perform the FOT test to the full extent of their ability.

Respiratory Therapists who utilize the Antlia Pro device are also afforded the advantage of having access to detailed physiological measurements of respiration. Using oscillometry, Respiratory Therapists evaluate respiratory resistance and reactance over a variety of frequencies to obtain an enhanced understanding of how well small airways are operating, as well as how stiff the lungs are and how unevenly they are ventilated. With this information, Respiratory Therapists can help identify individuals at risk of developing obstructive lung conditions such as asthma or COPD sooner than would be typically possible based on standard spirometry results. In doing so, they are able to work with physicians to adjust treatment accordingly, thus providing a better chance of success over the long term.

Within chronic disease management as well as pulmonary rehabilitation programs, Respiratory Therapists may also effectively use oscillometry to objectively track an individual’s progress throughout his/her course of treatment. Tracking measurable improvement in an individual with respiratory issues not only assists clinicians in making clinically accurate decisions regarding continued treatment but also provides patients with an opportunity to actively observe progress and learn more about their respective conditions.