Respiratory Volumes
Activity 2: Measuring Normal Respiratory Volumes
1. Minute respiratory volume: ml
2. Judging from the trace you generated, inspiration took place over how many seconds?
3. Expiration took place over how many seconds?
4. Does the duration of inspiration or expiration vary during ERV or FVC?
Activity 3: Effect of Restricted Air Flow on Respiratory Volumes
5. How does this set of data compare to the data you recorded for Activity 2?
6. Is the respiratory system functioning better or worse than it did in the previous activity? Explain why.
7. What is the effect of reducing the radius of the air flow tube on respiratory volumes?
8. What does the air flow tube simulate in the human body?
9. What could be some possible causes of reduction in air flow to the lungs?
Factors Affecting Respiration
Activity 4: Effect of Surfactant on Respiratory Volumes
10. When surfactant is added, what happens to the tidal volume?
11. As a result of the tidal volume change, what happens to the flow into each lung and total air flow?
12. Why does this happen?
Activity 5: Effect of Thoracic Cavity Puncture
13. What happened to the left lung when you clicked on the valve button?
14. Why?
15. What has happened to the “Total Flow” rate?
16. What is the pressure in the left lung?
17. Has the pressure in the right lung been affected?
18. If there was nothing separating the left lung from the right lung, what would have happened when you opened the valve for the left lung? Why?
19. Now click the valve for the left lung again, closing it. What happens? Why?
20. Describe the relationship required between intrathoracic pressure and atmospheric pressure in order to draw air into the lungs.
21. Design your own experiment for testing the effect of opening the valve of the right lung. Was there any difference from the effect of opening the valve of the left lung?
Variations in Breathing
Activity 6: Rapid Breathing
22. What happens to the PCO2 level during rapid breathing?
23. Why?
Activity 7: Rebreathing
24. What happens to the PCO2 level during rebreathing?
25. Why?
26. Did the total flow change?
27. Why?
28. How does the rebreathing trace compare to your baseline trace?
29. Why?
Activity 8: Breath Holding
30. What happens to the PCO2 level during breath holding?
31. Why?
32. What change was seen when you returned to “Normal Breathing”?
Activity 9: Comparative Spirometry
Normal Breathing:
33. What do you think is the clinical importance of the FVC and FEV1 values?
34. Why do you think the ratio of these two values is important to the clinician when diagnosing respiratory diseases?
Emphysema Breathing:
35. Is the FVC reduced or increased?
36. Is the FEV1 reduced or increased?
37. Which of these two changed more?
38. Explain the physiological reasons for the lung volumes and capacities that changed in the spirogram for this condition.
Acute Asthma Attack Breathing:
39. Is the FVC reduced or increased?
40. Is the FEV1 reduced or increased?
41. Which of these two changed more?
42. Explain the physiological reasons for the lung volumes and capacities that changed in the spirogram for this condition.
43. How is this condition similar to having emphysema? How is it different?
44. Emphysema and asthma are called obstructive lung diseases as they limit expiratory flow and volume. How would a spirogram look for someone with a restrictive lung disease, such as pulmonary fibrosis?
45. What volumes and capacities would change in this case, and would these values be increased or decreased?
46. In an acute asthma attack, the compliance of the lung is decreased, not increased as it was for emphysema, and air flows freely through the bronchioles. Therefore, will the FEV1/FVC percentage be less than normal, equal to normal, or higher than normal?
Acute Asthma Attack Breathing with Inhaler Medication Applied:
47. Has the FVC reduced or increased? Is it “normal?
48. Has the FEV1 reduced or increased? Is it “normal”?
49. Which of these two changed more?
50. Explain the physiological reasons for the lung volumes and capacities that changed in the spirogram with the application of the medication.