Spirometry, lung volume measurement, and diffusion capacity test interpretation tested on respiratory therapist certification exams.
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- What is FVC (forced vital capacity)?
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The total volume of air a person can forcibly exhale after maximal inhalation.- What is FEV1?
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The volume of air forcibly exhaled in the first second of an FVC maneuver.- What is a normal FEV1/FVC ratio in a healthy adult?
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About 70 to 80 percent (roughly 0.70 to 0.80).- How does the FEV1/FVC ratio change in an obstructive lung disease pattern?
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It is reduced below the normal range (below about 70 percent).- How does spirometry typically appear in a restrictive lung disease pattern?
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FVC is reduced, but the FEV1/FVC ratio is normal or even increased.- What does PEF (peak expiratory flow) measure?
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The maximum speed of airflow during a forced exhalation.- What does FEF25-75% measure?
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The average forced expiratory flow over the middle half of the FVC maneuver, a marker of small airway function.- What reproducibility criterion must the two largest FVC and FEV1 values meet for an acceptable spirometry test?
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They must be within 150 mL of each other.- What is the minimum number of acceptable exhalation maneuvers required for a valid spirometry test?
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Three (up to a maximum of eight attempts).- What defines a positive bronchodilator response on spirometry?
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An increase in FEV1 or FVC of at least 12 percent and 200 mL after bronchodilator administration.- Name three diseases that produce an obstructive spirometry pattern.
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Asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis.- Name three conditions that produce a restrictive spirometry pattern.
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Pulmonary fibrosis, chest wall deformity, and neuromuscular disease.- What shape does the expiratory limb of the flow-volume loop take in obstructive lung disease?
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A concave, scooped-out shape.- In GOLD COPD staging, what FEV1 percent predicted defines severe (GOLD 3) airflow limitation?
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30 to 49 percent predicted.- What is total lung capacity (TLC)?
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The total volume of air in the lungs after a maximal inhalation.
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