Lung Function Test
Physiology Lab-5
Nov, 2019
Lung Function Tests
•The tests determine:
• how much air your lungs can hold
• how quickly you can move air in and out of your
lungs
• how well your lungs add oxygen and remove
carbon dioxide from your blood.
•The tests can diagnose lung diseases and
measure the severity of lung problems
Clinical Significances:
Lung function tests are valuable because
they give some measure of
• Lung compliance or elasticity
• Airway resistance
• Respiratory muscle strength
Spirometry
• Is the first lung function test done.
• It measures how much and how quickly
you can move air out of your lungs.
• For this test, you breath into a mouthpiece
attached to a recording device
(spirometer).
Spirometer
• There are tow types of spirometer:
1- Mechanical devices:
2- Electronic devices
Respiratory Volumes
• The average total lung capacity of an adult human male
is about 6 liters of air, but only a small amount of this
capacity is used during normal breathing.
• The average human respiratory rate is 30-60 breaths per
minute at birth, decreasing to 12-20 breaths per minute
in adults.
[1] The Tidal Volume (TV):
• Is the volume of air inspired or expired with each normal
breath and it is about 500 ml in average young adult
man.
[2] The inspiratory reserve
volume (IRV):
• Is the extra volume of air that can be inspired over and
beyond tidal volume and it is about 3000 ml.
[3] The expiratory reserve
volume (ERV):
• Is the amount of air that can be expired after the normal
tidal expiration, which is about 1100 ml
[4] The residual volume (RV):
• Is the volume of air still remaining in the lungs after the most forceful
expiration, which is about 1200 ml.
Lung Capacities
In addition to four volumesthere are four capacities
,which are combined of two or more volumes:
[1] The inspiratory capacity (IC) = TV +IRV = 500 +3000 = 3500 ml.
This is the amount of air that a person can breathe beginning at the
normal expiratory level and distending the lungs to the maximum
amount.
[2] The functional residual capacity (FRC) = ERV + RV = 1100 +
1200 = 2300 ml. This is the amount of air remaining in the lungs at
the end of normal expiration.
[3] The vital capacity (VC) = IRV + TV + ERV = 3000 + 500 + 1100 =
4600 ml. This is the maximum amount of air that a person can expel
from the lungs after filling the lungs first to their maximum extent,
and then expiring to the maximum extent.
[4] The total lung capacity (TLC) = VC + RV = 4600 + 1200 = 5800
ml. This is the maximum volume to which the lungs can be
expanded with the greatest possible inspiratory effort.
Peak expiratory flow (PEF):
• Is the maximum or peak rate (or velocity), in liters per
minute, with which air is expelled with maximum force
after a deep inspiration.
• It can be measured by wright peak flow meter.
• The maximum expiratory flow is much greater when the
lungs are filled with a large volume of air than when they
are almost empty
Is spirometry the same as peak
flow readings?
• No. A peak flow meter is a small device
that measures the fastest rate of air that
you can blow out of your lungs.
• Like spirometry, it can detect airways
narrowing.
• It is commonly used to help diagnose
asthma.
Normal ranges of PEF
Factors affecting lung volume
Several factors affect lung volumes, some that can be
controlled and some that can not. These factors include:
Larger volumes Smaller volumes
Males females
Taller people shorter people
Non-smokers heavy smokers
Professional athletes non-athletes
People living at high altitudes people living at low altitudes
Restrictive and obstructive
Pulmonary disease
Pulmonary function testing primarily detects two abnormal patterns:
1- Obstructive ventilatory defects
• such as asthma and COPD.
• There is obstruction to the outflow of air
• The main feature is a decrease in expiratory flow rate throughout
expiration
2- Restrictive ventilatory defects
• such as interstitial fibrosis and chest wall deformities,
That reduce the air in the lungs. There is no obstruction to the
outflow of air.
• The main feature is reduced lung volume (mainly TLC and RV).
Is there any risk in having
spirometry?
Spirometry is a very low risk test. However, blowing out
hard can increase the pressure in your chest, abdomen
and eye. So, you may be advised not to have spirometry
if you have:
1- Unstable angina.
2- Had a recent pneumothorax (air trapped beneath the
chest wall).
3- Had a recent heart attack or stroke.
4- Had recent eye or abdominal surgery.
5- Coughed up blood recently and the cause is not known.
