Lung Volume Measurement and Indications of Pathology

Question 1

What is the device used to measure lung volume?

Answer 1

Spirometer

Question 2

What are the 4 volumes that can be measured in the lungs?

Answer 2

1. Tidal Volume
2. Inspiratory Reserve Volume
3. Expiratory Volume
4. Residual Volume

Question 3

What is tidal volume?

Answer 3

Normal volume of air inhaled and exhaled

-500ml

Question 4

What is inspiratory reserve volume?

Answer 4

Extra volume inhaled on top of the normal tidal volume

Question 5

What is the expiratory volume?

Answer 5

Extra volume you can get out after you normally exhale on top of the tidal volume

Question 6

What is residual volume?

Answer 6

Left over volume that never leaves the lung

hard to measure

Question 7

What is the total lung capacity?

Answer 7

How much volume the lungs can hold in total

-including all 4 volumes

Question 8

What is the vital capacity?

Answer 8

3/4 volumes without taking residual volume into account

Question 9

What is the Forced Vital Capacity?

Answer 9

Breath in and out as fast as you can, forcing it out

-volumes with vital capacity should be the same

Question 10

What is the Forced Expiratory Volume/1sec?

Answer 10

How much air they expired in one second when they forced the air out as fast as possible

Question 11

What is a normal FEV1/FVC ratio?

Answer 11

80% of air coming out in one second is normal

Question 12

What makes an obstructive respiratory problem show up on a graph?

Answer 12

FEV1 is shortened

-takes them a long time to exhale all the air

Question 13

What are characteristics of obstructive diseases?

Answer 13

Airway Inflammation
Airway Hyperresonpnsivness
Outflow Problems
-narrows airway

Question 14

what are 3 obstructives diseases?

Answer 14

Asthma
Chronic Bronchitis
Emphysema

Question 15

Characteristics of Asthma?

Answer 15

Spasms in airways (smooth muscle constricting) triggered by pollution, exercise, allergies
-contract when they aren’t supposed to

Question 16

Characteristics of Chronic Bronchitis?

Answer 16

Excessive mucus and inflammation in the airways triggered by smoking

Question 17

Characteristics of Emphysema

Answer 17

Walls between alveoli break down creating large air sacs triggered by smoking

Question 18

Why is wall breakdown in the alveoli from emphysema bad?

Answer 18

Elastin breakdown results in losing the collapsing force that helps expel air

• lungs are too compliance but they can’t exhale
• decreases area for gas exchange

Question 19

What makes a restrictive respiratory problem show up on a graph?

Answer 19

FVC is lower

-can blow out most of the air in the first second but there wasn’t much air in the lung to begin with

Question 20

What are characteristics of restrictive diseases?

Answer 20

Difficulty filling the lungs

Less air to exhale

Question 21

What is Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Answer 21

When scar tissue forms on the alveoli and other lung tissue (pollution, asbestos, coal) causing the lungs to become less compliant

Question 22

Why does scar tissue impact compliance?

Answer 22

Scar tissue is not elastic, being attached to other eleastic tissue restricts movement. Decreasing compliance

Question 23

How does Pulmonary Fibrosis affect gas exchange?

Answer 23

Scar tissue is a lot thicker than regular type 1 cells in the alveoli. Larger barrier that the O2 and CO2 molecules need to pass through, decreasing gas exchange