Question

A male patient presents with the following respiratory volumes and capacities : tv= 500 ml ; erv=1200 what is the patients vc.?

Answer 1

Lung capacity= tv+erv
=500ml + 1200

Answer 2

The correct formula for solving this question is: VC = IRV + ERV + TV, where VC is vital capacity, IRV is inspiratory reserve volume, ERV is expiratory reserve volume and TV is tidal volume. From the given information, TV =500, ERV =1200 and the standard IRV for male is 3100ml, therefore,
VC= 3100 + 1200 + 500 = 4800ml.