M. Bradley Drummond, MD, MHS, a Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Obstructive Lung Diseases Clinical and Translational Research Center at UNC, published a pilot study in the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation suggesting that digital inhaler technology may help predict worsening symptoms in COPD patients up to two weeks before an acute event occurs.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina and Wake Forest University tested the ProAir Digihaler, a Bluetooth-enabled rescue inhaler, in a group of 40 high-risk COPD patients. Over a three-month period, the device recorded detailed inhalation data, including peak inspiratory flow and inhalation volume, while patients also self-reported symptoms through a connected app. Key findings revealed that measurable changes in inhalation patterns—specifically declines in inhalation volume, duration, and time to peak flow—began up to 14 days before a reported COPD flare-up (AECOPD). Meanwhile, use of the rescue inhaler increased in the days leading up to an exacerbation, often before patients recognized worsening symptoms.