Prescreening Procedure

In this pre-screening evaluation, you may have some or all of the following procedures, which are often

done as part of a routine medical examination in a doctor’s office:

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• General medical history;

• Medical records;

• Questions about medications you are currently taking, either by phone or in person;

• Vital signs: weight, height, blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, measurement of oxygen level in blood with finger probe (pulse oximetry);

• Physical exam;

• Routine urine tests;

• Blood draw for routine tests such as blood count and serum chemistry;

• If you have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or Asthma, you may have a breathing test called spirometry to measure amount and speed of air that can be inhaled and exhaled from lungs.

 

A spirometry may be done with and without Albuterol and /or Atrovent medications, and may

measure lung volumes (the amount of air your lungs can hold), and diffusion capacity (how much

oxygen moves from your lungs to your blood when you inhale);

• Liver Ultrasound (Fibroscan) utilizes sound waves to make images of the inside of the liver

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Spirometry​

Spirometry is a lung function test where you will have to blow via a machine (spirometer). You wear a nose

clip and can either stand or sit during this test. The spirometer will measure the amount of air you breathe in

and out during the maneuver. Staff members will coach you during the maneuvers on how to appropriately

blow in the machine. An additional test may be done 10-15 minutes after a standard dose of salbutamol/Albuterol inhalation (a bronchodilator with rapid action) or atrovent inhalation to check severity of your Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or Asthma and your suitability to participate in a potential study.

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Risks associated with the breathing tests may include shortness of breath, and possibly dizziness.