Lung Volumes Lab

Dr. Dalay Olson

Email: hirs0101@umn.edu
Office: 3-120 Jackson Hall
 Learning Objectives
• Name and describe the lung volumes (TV, IRV, ERV and RV) and capacities
(TLC and VC) that can be measured with a simple spirometer. Identify which
volumes or capacities which CANNOT be measured by a simple spirometer
CT 7.3 Volumes and Capacities
• Compare and contrast the relative sizes of the lung volumes and capacities as
you measure these volumes in lab. Know the tidal volume is about 500 mls.
Make note of the sizes of the forced vital capacity (FVC) in both males (4500
mL) and females (3500 mL).
• Know how to calculate minute ventilation. Compare and contrast minute
ventilation to alveolar ventilation. How are they different? What is
deadspace?
• Understand the relationships and variables in the Law of LaPlace. What does
surfactant do? Explain why alveoli of differing sizes do not collapse when
surfactant production is adequate (or why they do collapse when surfactant
is absent). CT 7.5 Surface Tension and Compliance. This learning objective is
addressed by the lab demonstration.
 Lecture
How do we breath?
Introduce resistance to breathing
Overcoming hydrogen bonding
Law of LaPlace and Surfactant

Lab
Measure your lung volumes

Turn in CT 7.2 and 7.3 at the end of class

How do you breathe?

V P V  P V  P
No air movement Air flows in Air flows out
Ribs move
upward and
outward due Ribs return
to muscle to resting
contraction position

External Lung volume Lung volume

intercostals increases, decreases,
causing air causing air
pressure pressure
Diaphragm to fall to rise

Diaphragm Diaphragm
contracts relaxes
and flattens,
moving
downward
1 2 3
Relaxed state Inspiration Expiration
 Important lung volumes to know
Inspiratory Reserve Volume

Total Lung Capacity

Vital Capacity
Volume (mL)

Tidal Volume

Expiratory Volume

Residual Volume

Time (seconds)
 DS Vol
Conducting Airways
Tidal Volume
• No gas exchange (500mL)

• Control of airway
resistance

Deadspace
(Conducting Airway)

23 branches

Old DS Vol

Exchange Surface
Gas exchange
Alveoli
(Gas Exchange Surface)
 Ventilation:
Alveolar and Minute
Minute Alveolar
Ventilation Ventilation
Total amount of air Amount of air that is
moving in and out of available for gas
the lung per minute exchange

Minute Ventilation = TV* RR

Alveolar Ventilation = (TV– Deadspace) * RR

RR—Respiratory Rate
TV—Tidal Volume
Four characteristics that contribute
to ease of inflation
Airway Resistance

Compliance and Elastance Surface Tension

 Compliance and Elastance
Compliance– Its ability to stretch. For the lung, it is the change in
pressure needed to inflate the lungs to a particular volume.
High compliance:
• Stretches easily
• Requires low change in pressure to inflate
• Emphysema is a disease of high compliance
Low Compliance:
• Increased stiffness
• Requires a larger change in pressure to inflate
• Restrictive lung diseases: fibrosis in the lungs
• Inadequate surfactant increases compliance
Elastance (elastic recoil)—ability to return back to resting state once the
force is released. Think of a rubber band snapping back to its normal
shape after it is stretched. Elastin and collagen in the lung increase
elastic recoil.
Surface Tension
Water

Type II alveolar
cell (surfactant
cell) synthesizes
surfactant.
Surface Tension
Water

Type II alveolar
cell (surfactant
cell) synthesizes
surfactant.

Surfactant in the lung

Surfactant

Surfactant disrupts hydrogen bonding at the air-water interface and lowers surface tension
in the alveoli
 Surface Tension and The
Law of LaPlace
Pressure inside of a bubble formed by a fluid film is the
function of two factors:

1. Surface tension
2. The Radius

Law of LaPlace

More surfactant
decreases
surface tension.
Larger bubble Smaller bubble P = pressure
r=2 r=1 T = surface tension r=2 r=1
T=3 T=3 r = radius
T=2 T=1
P = (2 × 3)/2 P = (2 × 3)/1 According to the law of LaPlace, P = (2 × 2)/2 P = (2 × 1)/1
P=3 P=6 if two bubbles have the same P=2 P=2
surface tension, the smaller
bubble will have higher pressure. Surfactant ( )

Figure 17.11
 Lab

Measure your lung volumes

Turn in pulmonary worksheets

(all 3 pages) at the end of class