LUNG VOLUME AND

LUNG CAPACITY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Lung volume
Lung capacity
Spirometry
LUNG VOLUME

• It is the maximum volume of air the lungs can accommodate.

• There are four standard lung volumes :

• Tidal (TV)
• Inspiratory reserve (IRV)
• Expiratory reserve (ERV)
• Residual volumes (RV)
TIDAL VOLUME

The amount of air breathed in or out during

normal respiration
In this graph the curves represent tidal
volume
INSPIRATORY RESERVED VOLUME (IRV)

• The air inspired with maximal inspiratory effort in excess of the tidal
volume is the inspiratory reserve volume (IRV).

• Expiratory reserve volume (ERV)

• The expiratory reserve volume (ERV) is the additional air that can be
forcibly exhaled after the expiration of a normal tidal volume.
RESIDUAL VOLUME

• Residual volume (RV) is the volume of air remaining in the lungs after maximum forceful
expiration.
• In other words, it is the volume of air that cannot be expelled, thus causing the alveoli to
remain open at all times.
• The residual volume remains unchanged regardless of the lung volume at which
expiration was started.
LUNG CAPACITY

• Lung capacity or total lung capacity (TLC) is the volume of air in the lungs upon the maximum
effort of inspiration.
• Among healthy adults, the average lung capacity is about 6 liters
• The standard lung capacities are :
• inspiratory (IC)
• functional residual (FRC),
• vital (VC)
• total lung capacities (TLC).
 SPIROMETRY

• Spirometry is a common office test used to assess how well your lungs work by
measuring how much air you inhale, how much you exhale and how quickly you exhale.

• Spirometry is used to diagnose asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

and other conditions that affect breathing.
• The instrument used for this purpose is called Spirometer…