Prognostic Significance of Surrogate Measures for Forced Vital Capacity in an Elderly Population

The SFVC provides similar prognostic information compared with the FVC, and is associated with increased mortality in the subgroup of patients not able to attain the FVC. This measure can make the respiratory assessment for prognostic purposes easier, especially in elderly patients who have a high prevalence of respiratory diseases, but frequently fail to perform an FVC maneuver complying with recommended standards.