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Respiratory Volume is also known Lung Volume. Respiratory Muscles and Lung Capacity are two words in the respiratory system that are connected. Lung volumes refer to the amount of air that the lungs may take, keep, or discharge under certain conditions. Pulmonary volumes are another name for these.
Pulmonary Capacities or Lung Capacities are the sum of two or more Pulmonary Volumes. Depending on the depth of respiration, ethnicity, gender, age, body composition, and certain respiratory disorders, these volumes tend to differ.
Lung or Pulmonary Volumes
Tidal Volume
It is the amount of air that is taken into or expelled from the lungs during normal calm breathing. It’s roughly 500 milliliters. The functions of the respiratory muscles, as well as the movement of the lungs and chest center, are depicted in this diagram. It’s also known as the total amount of air expelled or inhaled in one respiratory cycle.
Inspiratory Reserve Volume
It is the additional volume of air that can be driven into the lungs over and above the tidal volume. It has a volume of 2000-3300 ml.
Expiratory Reserve Volume
It refers to the amount of air that can be driven out of the lungs after normal expiration. It’s roughly 1000 milliliters. Obesity or upper abdominal surgery can cause it to decrease.
Residual Volume
It refers to how much air remains in the lungs following forced expiration. It has a volume of around 1200 ml. By subtracting ERV from FRC, it can be calculated indirectly. There is no way to directly measure this value. FRC – ERV = Residual Volume
Measurement of Respiratory Volume
To aid in carrying out the accurate physiological diagnosis, it is necessary to calculate the lung or pulmonary volumes. Knowing an individual’s Lung volumes can help to understand a variety of underlying diseases. Lung volumes are measured using a variety of methods, the most popular of which is spirometry. Body plethysmography, Nitrogen washout, and Helium dilution are some of the other approaches.
Spirometry is a test that measures the amount of air that enters and leaves the lungs, as well as estimating the size of the lungs. It makes use of a device known as a spirometer.
The majority of lung volumes, including tidal volume, inspiratory reserve volume, and expiratory reserve volume, are measured using this technique. Body plethysmography, Nitrogen washout, and Helium dilution techniques are used to quantify Residual Volume, Functional Residual Capacity, and Total Lung Capacity.
Diaphragm
It is a thin internal double stranded sheet of skeletal or striated muscle that separates the abdomen from the thoracic region and is positioned in the inferior most portion of the rib cage. It’s a fibrous muscle with a parachute shape. During respiration, it expands and contracts in a cyclic pattern. During inspiration, it flattens and compresses, creating a vacuum effect that draws air into the lungs. The diaphragm relaxes during expiration, and air is forced out of the lungs.
Lung or Pulmonary Capacities
Inspiratory Capacity
It is the sum of tidal volume and inspiratory reserve volume, and it is the maximum volume of air that may be inspired from the end-expiration position. It’s almost 3500 ml.
Vital Capacity
It refers to the amount of air that can be forced out of the lungs after a forced inspiration.
Inspiratory capacity + Expiratory reserve volume = vital capacity.
It is approximately 4,800 ml for males and 3,100 ml for females.
It varies depending on your age and physical size. The capacity to breathe deeply and cough, as demonstrated by VC, demonstrates the strength of the Inspiratory and Expiratory muscles. Spirometers are used to determine vital capacity. It’s used to detect disorders of the lungs.
Functional Residual Capacity
It’s the amount of air that’s left in the lungs following a typical exhalation. It ranges from 2500 to 3000 milliliters. It’s made up of Residual volume and expiratory reserve volume added together.
Total Lung or Total Lung Capacity
It’s the amount of air that your lungs can hold after you’ve taken your maximum breath. The sum of vital capacity and residual volume is called vital capacity. VC+ RV = TLV
In an adult male, it ranges between 5000 to 6000 ml.
Conclusion
Breathing is a natural process that involves exhaling carbon dioxide and inhaling oxygen. In the mechanism of breathing, there are two basic processes: inspiration and expiration.
Lung volumes are measurements of how much air our lungs can take in, hold, and release under various conditions. The values resulting from the lung volumes are known as lung capacities.
Lung capacities aid in determining how well the lungs are working and reveal the presence of any illness or condition. We can measure Tidal volume, Inspiratory Reserve Volume, and Expiratory Reserve Volume with spirometry. The residual volume can’t be measured directly, instead it’s calculated by subtracting ERV from FRC.
Body plethysmography, Nitrogen washout, and Helium dilution techniques can be used to determine residual volume, functional residual capacity, and total lung capacity. The volume of air that the lungs can contain after maximal inspiration is known as total lung capacity.
