@article {Stanojevic210016, author = {Sanja Stanojevic and Cole Bowerman and Paul Robinson}, title = {Multiple breath washout: measuring early manifestations of lung pathology}, volume = {17}, number = {3}, elocation-id = {210016}, year = {2021}, doi = {10.1183/20734735.0016-2021}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {The multiple breath washout (MBW) test measures the efficiency of gas mixing in the lungs and has gained significant interest over the past 20 years. MBW outcomes detect early lung function impairment and peripheral airway pathology, through its main outcome measure lung clearance index (LCI). LCI measures the number of lung turnovers required to washout an inert tracer gas. MBW is performed during normal (tidal) breathing, making it particularly suitable for young children or those who have trouble performing forced manoeuvres. Additionally, research in chronic respiratory disease populations has shown that MBW can detect acute clinically relevant changes before conventional lung function tests, such as spirometry, thus enabling early intervention. The development of technical standards for MBW and commercial devices have allowed MBW to be implemented in clinical research and potentially routine clinical practice. Although studies have summarised clinimetric properties of MBW indices, additional research is required to establish the clinical utility of MBW and, if possible, shorten testing time. Sensitive, feasible measures of early lung function decline will play an important role in early intervention for people living with respiratory diseases.Educational aimTo describe the multiple breath washout test, its applications to lung pathology and respiratory disease, as well as directions for future research.The multiple breath washout test is a sensitive measure of early lung function impairment. It has been shown to be feasible in young children and several respiratory disease populations; nonetheless more work is required to establish its clinical utility. https://bit.ly/2W5xiol}, issn = {1810-6838}, URL = {https://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/17/3/210016}, eprint = {https://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/17/3/210016.full.pdf}, journal = {Breathe} }