Diagnosis

• What can help to diagnose lung disease?

  measures of lung function
• What do lung diseases affect?


  both ventilation (breathing) and gas exchange in the lungs

  • ie how well the lungs function
• What can doctors carry out?

  tests to investigate lung function and diagnose a lung disease
• what is TIDAL VOLUME?

  The volume of air in each breath
• what is tidal volume usually between?

  0.4dm3 and 0.5dm3 for adults
• what is ventilation rate?


  the number of breaths per minute
• what is ventilation rate for a healthy person?

  about 15 breaths per minute
• what is FEV1 ?

  Forced expiratory volume
• what is forced expiratory volume??


  the maximum volume of air that can be breathed out in 1 second
• what is FVC?

  Forced vital capacity
• What is forced vital capacity?

  the maximum volume of air it is possible to breathe forcefully out of the lungs after a really deep breath in
• how can you figure out tidal vol, ventilation rate and other measures of breathing?

  from the graph produced from a spirometer
• what is a spirometer used for?


  to measure the volume of air breathed in and out
• what does dm3 stand for?

  decimetres cubed. 1dm3 = a litre