The effect of repairs on the performance of the Wright respirometer.

SUMMARY Respirometers are repaired in this department. They do not always retain the makers' specifications but they are clinically useful. A random selection of those in clinical use has shown that, on the average, the respirometers read 2 per cent low at low tidal volumes and 4 per cent high at high tidal volumes. Individual meters differed from the mean by up to ±15 per cent. Damage, caused by dropping, is responsible for the majority of technical failures.